A Finnish research group has found a genetic cause for lactose intolerance. Millions of people globally suffer from lactose intolerance or the inability to break down sugar lactose. Thanks to the gene find, the condition can be diagnosed by a simple blood test instead of a complex set of exercises.

The most common cause of lactose intolerance is the limited ability of the body to produce the lactase enzyme which breaks down sugar lactose. A large part of the world's population suffers from a sugar lactose absorption disorder. In the United States, for example, it is estimated that 30-50 million people suffer from this ailment. In Finland, one out of every six people suffers from it.

It was already known that the lactase gene (LPH gene)itself is not responsible for the body's inability to break down sugar lactose. The Finnish researchers discovered a variation in the DNA code, situated in another part of the same chromosome.

Nine Finnish families and 236 persons of other ethnic origin participated in the research carried out by the Biomedicum network. The results show that the DNA variation was present in those suffering from intolerance, but not in the rest. Exactly how the variation promotes the creation of intolerance is still somewhat uncertain. Based on the research it is known that a person must inherit the variant gene from both parents in order to become lactose intolerant.

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