Lactose in infant formula, its benefits and harm
Attentive parents study dairy formula labels and are interested in their composition. One of the ingredients of the mixtures is lactose. Is this ingredient useful for babies and in which case lactose can harm the crumbs?
What is it?
Lactose is a disaccharide, that is, a two-molecule carbohydrate (glucose + galactose). The formula for this carbohydrate is C12H22O11.
The name of this disaccharide is associated with the Latin word "lactis", meaning "milk", since lactose molecules are contained in dairy products. The second name of this disaccharide is “milk sugar”.
In the human intestine, this carbohydrate is broken down by the action of the enzyme lactase.
What do they do
The compound is extracted from whey. This disaccharide was first isolated by the Italian Fabrizio Bertoletti in 1615. He evaporated the whey, and then it cooled, resulting in a slurry containing lactose. To this day, the process of production of this substance has almost not changed. Now lactose is still obtained from the serum by evaporation.
Benefit
- Lactose is a carbohydrate, which means it is a source of energy for the child’s body.
- This carbohydrate is very important for the metabolism of calcium, as well as for the absorption of vitamins B and C.
- Maintaining the growth of normal microflora in the intestines, lactose prevents putrefaction, therefore it is important for the prevention of dysbacteriosis. Without a sufficient amount of lactose, the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the intestine is inhibited.
- This disaccharide is involved in the production of substances that are responsible for the viscosity of saliva.
- Lactose stimulates the development of the nervous system in children.
- It resists the development of vascular and heart diseases.
Harm
Such a natural sugar, as lactose, is a very useful substance that can bring harm only when there are problems in the body with its absorption. The reason for such problems is an insufficient amount of lactase - an enzyme involved in the breakdown of milk sugar.
findings
If the child does not have a pathology called "lactase deficiency"Lactose will not cause any harm to the baby. Lactose-free infant formula are introduced in exceptional cases.
In the composition of the infant formula, lactose brings many benefits and makes the mixture close to breast milk, in which lactose is 100%. This is a physiological carbohydrate that must be fed into the child by artificial feeding (with the exception of cases of intolerance).
