I have looked in all our lab references and asked Leon (Mitoulas) and Peter
(Hartmann). None of us are aware of any literature identifying the presence
of lactase in human milk. As you say it would somewhat defeat the purpose as
the lactose would just be immediately split back into glucose and galactose
(and there would be next to no lactose left in milk). Peter says it could be
possible for it to be present in milk if it were in an inactivated form,
which was then activated (somehow) once in the gut (although none of this
has been investigated - to my knowledge).
Peter seems to think that there is some in marsupial milk but only at the
end of lactation. Can't seem to find any refs though.
So in short I think the Dr may have been mistaken in regard to his comments
about lactase in milk (unless of course he knows something we donšt :-).
Regards
Cathy Fetherston CM MSc IBCLC
Perth, Western Australia
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