Q: I'm lactose intolerant, but I can eat goat cheese. Why?

Can you give me some ideas about where to find complete nutritional info on goat cheese? I am lactose intolerant but find that i can eat goat cheese. I am looking for research info or hard facts on goats cheese. Specifically fat content, and cholesterol info. It's said to have smaller fat molecules, be easier to digest, etc.

A: Dr. Gourmet Says...

Lactose is only found in milk made by mammals. It is a two molecule sugar (called a disaccharide) made up of one molecule glucose and one molecule galactose. The body produces an enzyme called lactase that breaks the bond between these two saccharides so that the body can absorb them from the intestine. Many people will lose the ability to make this enzyme and because the lactose can't be split it passes into the large intestine. The result can be gas, pain, bloating and diarrhea.

Goat's milk does contain lactose and it has almost as much as cow's milk. Cheeses made from both cow's milk and goat's milk will have a reduction in the amount of lactose due to the fermentation process. For this reason many people who are lactose intolerant are able to eat cheeses. Some people do tolerate goat cheese better, however. The fat molecules in goat's milk are shorter than in cow's milk and this may account for it's easier digestibility for some.

An ounce of goat cheese has 80 calories, 6 grams fat, 4.5 grams saturated fat, 0 grams monounsaturated fat, 5 grams protein, 0 grams carbohydrates, 130 milligrams sodium and 20 milligrams cholesterol. Goat cheese has less than 1 microgram of Vitamin K per ounce.

Lactose intolerance should not be confused with milk allergy where people are allergic to the protein in different types of milk. This is more common with cow's milk and may explain why some tolerate goat's milk better.

Thanks for writing,

Dr. Gourmet
Eat well, eat healthy, enjoy life!