Most medications could not be used without excipients in the composition. They allow you to give the drug a form that will allow the active substance to reach the desired point in the body and act on the disease. Some of the excipients are more popular with the manufacturer, some are less popular. Lactose monohydrate - what is it, how is it used in medicine and the food industry?
General properties
Lactose, as a substance, belongs to the carbohydrate class of oligosaccharides. Carbohydrates are chemical compounds that are found in all food products and incorporate carbonyl and hydroxyl groups. Oligosaccharides, on the other hand, are a class of carbohydrates that contains from two to four simple parts — saccharides. There are two such parts in lactose: glucose and galactose.
Due to the fact that lactose is mainly found in milk, it is also called "milk sugar". Pharmacological aids indicate that lactose monohydrate is a lactose molecule with a water molecule attached to it.
Since lactose has two simple sugars in its composition: glucose and galactose, it is called a disaccharide in the framework of chemical classification, and upon splitting forms two initial monosaccharides. Disaccharides also include the sucrose known to us, which, when broken down, forms glucose and fructose. Thus, in terms of carbohydrate properties and the rate of cleavage in the body, both of these molecules are extremely close to each other and can be interchangeable in some cases.
Lactose without a water molecule (anhydrous) is stored much less than the crystalline hydrate form, and therefore water molecules are purposefully added to it to improve storage.
What happens
Lactose looks like an ordinary odorless white crystalline powder. It is soluble in water quite well, has a sweet taste. As an auxiliary substance, lactose monohydrate differs only in terms of particle fineness: from the smallest substance for tablets with potent substances in small doses to large particles for tablets with an extract of medicinal herbs. Particle size control is carried out mainly in medical practice due to the need to control the absorption rate of the active substance of the drug. In the food industry, the requirements for the substance are less serious.
Cleavage in the body
Milk is the main source of lactose, which contains up to 6%. It is milk that contains lactose monohydrate, which enters our body when it is consumed. Normally, after lactose enters the stomach, it undergoes enzymatic action, it is divided into two monosaccharides: glucose and galactose. After this, simple carbohydrates can already go to the needs of the body, replenishing its energy reserve.
Since simple sugars are formed as a result of cleavage from the disaccharide, the use of lactose monohydrate, both as a food product and as part of a drug, affects the blood sugar level, increasing it.
The cleavage process is possible due to the work of the lactase enzyme. Its maximum amount is contained in the body of a healthy young child, and it is he who allows him to be on milk food. After the breast period is over, the amount of enzyme decreases and milk tolerance decreases. The smallest amount of the enzyme is found in the body of the elderly and residents of the Asian region. Europeans practically do not lose their ability to absorb dairy products with age.
Use in medicine
Lactose monohydrate, magnesium stearate are the most common excipients for tablet dosage forms. It is extremely difficult to find a tablet that does not contain these two components. But due to the spread of lactose intolerance among people, pharmaceutical manufacturers have begun to market lactose-free tablets.
But even despite the emergence of a small number of drugs that do not contain milk sugar, lactose is still one of the main components of medicinal tablets.
Manufacturers add lactose monohydrate to the tablets as a filler, since this substance is the least pharmacologically active in the human body, and therefore does not affect the effectiveness of the active substance and the result of treatment. Substances completely neutral for the human body do not exist. It is also known that lactose monohydrate in the composition of drugs is not an absolutely indifferent excipient, however, in addition to changing the concentration of sugar in the blood, this substance minimally affects the processes occurring in the human body. But in case sugar level is important (for example, when taking anti-diabetes drugs of the second type), then lactose monohydrate is not used.
Use in the food industry
In the food industry, lactose is used not only as part of dairy products. It can be found in glazes, pastries, and cooked cereals. If lactose monohydrate is needed as an indifferent part in drugs, then food production actively uses its properties.
Canned foods do not lose color when lactose is added; in addition, it is added to soups, flour and canned vegetables for the same purpose. Due to the fact that the substance does not have a pronounced taste, it is easy to use in food production, and it will not affect its final taste.
The confectionery industry actively uses lactose monohydrate as a sweetener. Milk sugar is less sweet than regular sucrose and less harmful. Therefore, it is artificially added to sweets, cakes and pastries to give them a light sweet taste.
The effect of lactose monohydrate on the body
Despite the apparent complete neutrality of the substance for the body, lactose has a set of fairly significant characteristics that directly affect the body. This effect can have both positive and negative effects. Therefore, before using lactose monohydrate, it is necessary to take into account the properties of the substance and the individual reaction of the body to it.
Positive effects
Lactose monohydrate is known to be a carbohydrate. Like any carbohydrate, lactose is primarily a source of energy in the body. It can be attributed to simple carbohydrates, so it consists of two simple sugars: glucose and galactose. Therefore, when it enters the body, it breaks down very quickly into the main energy elements and increases the level of sugar in the blood.
Also, the substance can be used as a substance supporting microflora, since it is it that best feeds lactobacilli in the intestine.
Lactose also has a stimulating effect on the nervous system, so it can be added to the drinking shakes used in sports training and during the recovery period after treatment of diseases.
Negative impact
The negative effects of lactose monohydrate are much less than positive: the substance can only be harmful if it is individually intolerant. In addition to intolerance, this component can, albeit slightly, affect blood sugar levels, especially if consumed as part of food. This can adversely affect the health of people with diabetes.
Receipt process
The process of obtaining lactose is fully associated with natural raw materials - whey. The simplest production technology available involves the concentration of dry matter from dairy raw materials using the reverse osmosis process. After that, the lactose is purified, evaporated and dried.
Lactose intolerance
In some cases, the human body lacks those enzymes that allow lactose to be broken down into simpler components for sugar absorption. In this case, we can talk about intolerance to lactose monohydrate. What is it, is it a disease in the full sense of the word? Doctors do not give a definite answer to this, since the lack of the ability to break down lactose is inherent not only to individual people, but even to individual nations. It is also known that difficulties with the absorption of this carbohydrate occur in older people.
There are three different types of intolerance:
- Primary It entirely depends on the age of the person. The older the body becomes, the more the enzyme production in it decreases.
- Secondary It occurs due to diseases, injuries and disruptions of the body. Such intolerance can either persist for a lifetime, or smooth out or completely pass with time.
- Temporary. The third type is associated primarily with the problems of prematurity of infants, since the production of the enzyme begins with a certain month of fetal development. Over time, with proper treatment, the child’s body matures, the enzyme begins to be produced in the right amount, and lactose intolerance disappears.
Intolerance has symptoms that are similar for different people. They are primarily associated with the digestive system. The main signs of lactose intolerance are diarrhea, bloating and flatulence after eating foods with this substance. In rare cases, nausea and vomiting may occur. The patient experiences severe heaviness in the abdomen.
Lactose intolerance can be confused with another disease, with similar at first glance characteristics - an allergy to milk. But these two diseases differ from each other not only by the course and methods of treatment, but also by symptoms. Therefore, before trying to independently diagnose any of these diseases in yourself, it is necessary to undergo a specialist diagnosis.