Here's a laboratory website with information about reducing substance
testing of stool, to look for lactose intolerance.
http://www.labcorp.com/datasets/labcorp/html/chapter/mono/sc008100.htm

Two important notes:  the specimin is useless if it is collected from a
diaper or other absorbant material.
And you are correct that transitory gut injury or relative lactose
overload will cause the test to be positive, without the child really
being lactose intolerant.
The final statement is the corker: "The use of mucosal disaccharidase
enzyme activity as an isolated diagnostic criterion may have limited
value.3"  That says it all.

ABM manufacturers promoting their lactose free products have been citing
reducing substances in the stool as a criterion for using their formula,
without any mention of the disadvantages of such a move.

--
Catherine Watson Genna, IBCLC  New York City  mailto:[log in to unmask]

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