What is lactase?

This enzyme helps to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and other dairy products. Lactase is produced by cells that line the walls of the small intestine.

What is the difference between lactose intolerance and lactose persistence?

Lactose intolerance is a recessive trait, whereas lactase persistence is dominant. The lactase persistence locus is between intron 13 and exon 17 of the minichromosome maintenance complex component 6 gene (MCM6) located upstream of the lactase gene (LCT).

Where is lactase produced?

small intestine
Lactase is an enzyme (a protein that causes a chemical reaction to occur) normally produced in your small intestine that’s used to digest lactose.

Why is lactase persistence important?

Evolutionary history. According to the gene-culture coevolution hypothesis, the ability to digest lactose into adulthood (lactase persistence) became advantageous to humans after the invention of animal husbandry and the domestication of animal species that could provide a consistent source of milk.

Why is lactase used?

This product is an enzyme supplement used to help people who have trouble digesting milk and other dairy products (lactose intolerance). Lactose is a type of sugar found in milk products. Lactase enzyme is normally produced by the body to help break down (digest) lactose.

How is lactase used?

Lactase is an enzyme. It breaks down lactose, a sugar in milk and milk products. Some people’s bodies do not make enough lactase, so they are not able to digest milk well, which can lead to diarrhea, cramps, and gas. This is referred to as “lactose intolerance.” Taking supplemental lactase can help break down lactose.

Why do adults become lactose intolerant?

Too little of an enzyme produced in your small intestine (lactase) is usually responsible for lactose intolerance. You can have low levels of lactase and still be able to digest milk products. But if your levels are too low you become lactose intolerant, leading to symptoms after you eat or drink dairy.

What causes lactose?

How is lactase made?

The lactase enzyme is naturally produced by the cells that line the small intestine. It is also produced by the bacteria that live in the small intestine. They can get the lactase enzyme in the form of a pill, or by eating probiotic bacteria that will then live in their intestine and produce lactase.

How was lactase discovered?

Bartolletti discovered lactose in milk in 1619; C. W. Scheele identified it as a sugar in 1780. It is used as a component of infant formula, as a carrier for aromas in foods, and as a filler in drug formulations.

Why is lactase persistence an example of convergent evolution?

Once the lactase persistence trait evolved, it quickly spread across northern Europe. A separate independent mutation to the same regulatory DNA region conferred lactase persistence to at least one culture of humans living in Africa (e.g., convergent evolution).