Dairy Diet and Lactose Intolerance

FALLACY: Lactose-intolerant individuals should limit their dairy consumption FACT: Recent information says that this not necessarily true. Many people who think they are lactose intolerant really aren't. In fact, doctors even suggest adding dairy products to their diet to overcome the symptoms. Most symptoms occur when large quantities of lactose (such as that found in a double-decker ice cream, for example) are consumed by people who wouldn't otherwise consume dairy products. The symptoms occur because most of these individuals lack sufficient quantities of the lactose-metabolizing enzyme called lactase.

The hope lies in the bacteria naturally found within the intestines, which can also help the break down of milk sugars. Those bacteria can be conditioned to actively you only need to get sufficient dairy products in you diet.
However, lactose intolerance should not be confused with gastrointestinal milk allergy. The latter results from a sensitivity to milk, and usually to the milk protein betalactoglobulin. The disease shows up during early infancy.