Ask around and you will find someone who gave up milk years ago. Tea with milk or a bowl of cereal left their stomach rumbling an hour later, so milk went, and cheese, ice cream and yogurt soon followed on the assumption that all dairy was the problem.
For many people, giving up yogurt was a step they did not need to take. Lactose intolerance comes down to how much milk sugar your body can handle at one time, and yogurt carries less of it than milk, with help built in for digesting the rest.
Is yogurt good for lactose intolerance?
For most people with lactose intolerance, yes, in sensible amounts. Lactose is the natural sugar in milk, and the NHS describes lactose intolerance as tummy pain, bloating, wind or diarrhoea after eating it, usually because the body makes too little lactase, the enzyme that breaks lactose down.
Yogurt brings its own lactase. The live cultures that turn milk into yogurt carry the enzyme inside them, and a review in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that it survives the stomach and keeps working in the small intestine, digesting enough of the lactose to prevent symptoms in people who are lactose intolerant.
A patient leaflet from University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust says yogurt and hard cheese are usually better tolerated than milk, because the bacteria in them produce their own lactase.
How yogurt is different from milk
The first difference is the amount of lactose. A 2020 review on managing lactose intolerance through diet lists whole milk at about 4.9g of lactose per 100g and plain yogurt at about 2.6g, roughly half. These are averages from food tables, and any one brand will sit above or below them.
The second is speed. Yogurt is thick, so it moves through the gut more slowly than a glass of milk, and the same review notes this gives the lactase in your gut more time to work on the lactose. Fermentation uses up only part of the lactose, so much of the help comes from the live cultures digesting the rest once you have eaten it.
For a sense of scale, the US National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases says research suggests many people with lactose intolerance could have 12g of lactose, the amount in about one cup of milk, with no symptoms or only mild ones.
Greek yogurt and lactose
Greek yogurt goes a step further, because it is strained. The whey, the watery part of the yogurt, drains off, and some of the lactose dissolved in it goes too. Food tables put strained Greek yogurt at about 0.5g of lactose per 100g, against 2.6g for plain unstrained yogurt.
Treat that figure as a rough guide. Straining time and recipe vary from one maker to the next. For how Greek and regular yogurt differ on protein, sugar and texture, see our guide to Greek vs regular yogurt.
What yogurt to eat with lactose intolerance
The yogurt you pick and the way you eat it both make a difference.
- Plain yogurt with live cultures. The cultures do the digesting, so pick a yogurt that still has them. The AJCN review found flavoured yogurts showed somewhat less lactase activity than plain ones, though people still tolerated them well.
- Greek yogurt, for its lower lactose.
- A small first portion. Start with two or three tablespoons and add a little more over the next few days as you see how you feel.
- Yogurt with a meal. Eating lactose alongside other food helps your body cope with it, so have yogurt with breakfast or after lunch rather than on an empty stomach.
At Zayith, our Low-Fat Unsweetened Greek Yogurt is our plain Greek yogurt, unsweetened and unflavoured. It is made fresh in Lagos with milk and live cultures.
We deliver online orders within Lagos, usually in 24 to 48 hours. You can also find Zayith in 647 outlets across 29 cities and towns.
For what live cultures do for your gut beyond lactose, see the health benefits of Greek yogurt and our guide to probiotic foods in Nigeria.
Milk allergy and other reasons yogurt may not suit you
A milk allergy is a different condition, where the immune system overreacts to a food, and cows’ milk is one of the most common triggers. Yogurt is made from milk and keeps its milk proteins, so it is not safe for anyone with a milk allergy.
An allergy can show up as itchy skin, a raised rash, or swelling of the lips, face or eyes. Swelling in the throat or trouble breathing needs emergency help at once.
Bloating and loose stools can also come from other gut problems. If your symptoms keep coming back, your bowel habits change for weeks, or you are losing weight without trying, see your doctor before you settle on lactose as the cause.
Lactose intolerance and yogurt: common questions
Can you drink milk if you are lactose intolerant?
Many people can, in small amounts. A splash of milk in tea is often fine where a full glass is not, and spreading milk across the day or having it with meals helps. Lactose-free milk is another option.
What foods soothe lactose intolerance?
No food reverses lactose intolerance, but you can ease the symptoms by cutting the lactose in each sitting. Yogurt and hard cheeses such as cheddar carry less lactose than milk, and lactose-free milk carries almost none. The NHS says a lactase supplement taken before food containing lactose may reduce or prevent symptoms for some people.
Is Greek yogurt lactose-free?
No. Straining lowers the lactose in Greek yogurt, but some remains. Lactose-free yogurt is made by adding the lactase enzyme to the milk so the lactose is broken down before you eat it.
