Lactose is a disaccharide sugar composed of galactose and glucose that is found in milk.

Lactose makes up around 28% of milk, although the amount varies among species and
individuals, and milk with a reduced amount of lactose also exists.

Metabolism[edit]
Main article: Lactose intolerance
Infant mammals nurse on their mothers to drink milk, which is rich in lactose. The
intestinal villi secrete the enzyme called lactase (-D-galactosidase) to digest it. This
enzyme cleaves the lactose molecule into its two subunits, the
simple sugars glucose and galactose, which can be absorbed. Since lactose occurs
mostly in milk, in most mammals, the production of lactase gradually decreases with
maturity due to a lack of continuing consumption.
Many people with ancestry in Europe, West Asia, South Asia, the Sahel belt in West
Africa, East Africa and a few other parts of Central Africa maintain lactase
production into adulthood. In many of these areas, milk from mammals such
as cattle, goats, and sheep is used as a large source of food. Hence, it was in these
regions that genes for lifelong lactase production first evolved. The genes of adult
lactose tolerance have evolved independently in various ethnic groups. [18] By
descent, more than 70% of western Europeans can drink milk as adults, compared
with less than 30% of people from areas of Africa, eastern and south-eastern Asia
and Oceania.[19] In people who are lactose intolerant, lactose is not broken down and
provides food for gas-producing gut flora, which can lead to diarrhea, bloating,
flatulence, and other gastrointestinal symptoms.

Applications[edit]
Food industry applications have markedly increased since the 1960s. For example,
its bland flavor has lent to its use as a carrier and stabiliser of aromas and
pharmaceutical products. Lactose is not added directly to many foods, because its
solubility is less than that of other sugars commonly used in food. Infant formula is a
notable exception, where the addition of lactose is necessary to match the
composition of human milk.
Lactose is not fermented by most yeast during brewing, which may be used to
advantage.[10] For example, lactose may be used to sweeten stout beer; the resulting
beer is usually called a milk stout or a cream stout.
Yeast belonging to the genus Kluyveromyces have a unique industrial application as
they are capable of fermenting lactose for ethanol production. Surplus lactose from
the whey by-product of dairy operations is a potential source of alternative energy. [20]
Another major use of lactose is in the pharmaceutical industry. Lactose is added to
pills as a filler because of its physical properties, i.e., compressibility, and low price.
For similar reasons it can be used to dilute heroin.