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Otherwise, this blog is now a legacy site, meaning that I am not updating it any longer. The basic information about LI is still sound. However, product information and weblinks may be out of date.

In addition, my old website, Planet Lactose, has been taken down because of the age of the information. Unfortunately, that means links to the site on this blog will no longer work.

For quick offline reference, you can purchase Planet Lactose: The Best of the Blog as an ebook on Amazon.com or BarnesandNoble.com. Almost 100,000 words on LI, allergies, milk products, milk-free products, and the genetics of intolerance, along with large helpings of the weirdness that is the Net.

Wednesday, April 04, 2007

Lactagen: The Big Update


I may get more questions about Lactagen than any other single item.

That's not surprising. Lactagen makes the strongest claims about its effectiveness. It's website says that "Lactagen®'s patented one-time 38-day program is the only real solution to lactose intolerance." That's actually a milder version. It at one time touted itself as a cure for lactose intolerance.

Lactagen also spends an inordinate amount of money on advertising, marketing, and promotion. I bet that you'll see an ad for Lactagen in the Google ads section at the upper left of this screen, even when this article scrolls away. (I have no knowledge of and no control over what ads Google places there. It uses a keyword algorithm to decide what is appropriate.)

And Lactagen is upping the ante, according to a new press release.

Direct response television agency Atomic Direct has released a 60-second and a 120-second spot for Ritter Natural Sciences.

The testimonial-based spots are for Lactagen, a powder supplement program that reduces symptoms of lactose intolerance.

According to RNS, the ads aim to separate Lactagen from Lactaid and similar products they claim provide either temporary relief or, in some cases, no relief at all.

The spots feature real-life testimonials of lactose-intolerant people who have been symptom-free since taking the product.

The campaign began airing last month and can also be viewed at Lactagen’s Web site at www.lactagen.com.

Los Angeles-based RNS is a health nutraceutical company with a concentration in dietary supplements for the digestive system.


So. Does Lactagen work? And if so, how does it work?

That's not easy to answer. I can only find one objective news article amidst all the press releases.

The Washington Post examined Lactagen's claims in its "Claim Check" column of Nov. 25, 2005.
The Claim

Lactagen, a powdered supplement sold on the Web ( http://www.lactagen.com ; $129.95 [now $149.95] for a 38-day supply), resolves lactose intolerance -- an inability to digest the food sugar known as lactose that results from a deficiency of the digestive enzyme lactase -- once and for all. (Lactose intolerance has proven intractable because the lack of lactase is not reversible.) Mix the product with water or juice and consume it in increasing amounts over 35 days, says the company, and ice cream, pizza, cheese and milk are yours to relish.

Longtime lactose intolerant Andrew Ritter decided, at age 13, to devise a remedy for his ailment as a science-fair project. Encouraged by his science-fair success, Ritter ... tinkered for years (he's now 24), eventually coming up with Lactagen's brew of lactobacillus acidopholus (a "probiotic," or helpful bacterium, that's found in live yogurt cultures), lactose, phosphates, and gum and silica. Ritter cites an unpublished study in which 80 percent of 27 users reported improvement in their symptoms (which include gas, bloating, diarrhea and other unpleasantries) after 38 days, compared with 19 percent on placebo.

The Plausibility

Gastroenterologist Theodore Bayless, professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, says it's "conceivable" that a probiotic could beef up the digestive tract's bacteria population -- which could then produce protective enzymes that would shield against excess gas. But forget company claims about "calming the digestive system," he says; inflammation has nothing to do with lactose intolerance.


What do my correspondents say?

Mostly positive things.

● I just got done with the program. Previously, milk/cheese products would cause me to be sick for at least 3 days. Lactaid supplements barely worked. The day after I finished the program, I was able to drink a 14oz glass of milk in the morning, and eat some homemade lasagna that evening (lots of cheese). Goodbye to moderation. It's not recommended to hit the dairy that hard, but I'm impressed. - Joe

● I have been thru with the regime for 5 weeks now. I feel I am 80% cured. I no longer have the gas (and everyone in my office is grateful), but still have the loose stools after eating too much cheese (3 pieces of sandwich size Muenster cheese with crackers for lunch yesterday). It does not seem to compound itself the way it used to, tho. I am telling everyone I know about it and they are all watching my progress. I was concerned if it would work, since during the taking of the product, I was still having lots of gas. I was comforted by the money-back guarantee, and whenever I felt I was wasting 34 days taking this I thought about the fact I would get my money back. It also took me 38 days, as the first experience with milk had me right back in the bathroom.

So it is not a miracle cure for me, but it is definitely a "walking cast" and I am able to go where I want and eat what I want without too much worry - C.

● I happened across your article this evening. I followed the program to the letter, and it has been a godsend to me. I was lactose intolerant for 15 years, and now I eat almost all dairy with absolutely no side effects. I say almost, as for some reason aged fresh-grated cheeses still do bother me a bit, though a milkshake or slice of cheesecake is no problem. I'd do it again in a moment and would recommend it to anyone. I wish I'd discovered it prior to spending about $5k on nearly daily lactaid over the years! I refused to give up dairy, but sure did pay the price, literally... - Karen

● I am approximately 4 weeks out of the lactagen program and I have had no trouble with milk, cheese, etc. Old habits die hard as I have to remind myself I can eat anything on the menu not just dishes I had taken to-go several times before I would even try it in the restaurant. There is one note to this, one must exercise caution directly after this program as I have been eating everything I haven't had in a decade and now I have to get a gym membership ;)

I would like to express my gratitude to the developer of the lactagen program! - Douglas

● I went through the program, and now recommend it wholeheartedly. I've been lactose intolerant for five or six years, and while lactaid type products helped initially, I had little luck with them after a few years. Skeptical at first (the price tag seems high) I decided to try Lactagen--fully expecting to ask for a refund when it didn't work. I even had a bout with the flu in the middle of the 38 day regime, and went off the program for three days. I picked up exactly where I left off with no problem. Apprehensively I started adding dairy to my diet and then even abused the privilege. Even though nervous (I kept waiting for the nausea, cramps and gas to reappear) I kept eating dairy. It's been about three months and I am still eating dairy (though I admit real butter tastes odd) with no apparent effect. Lactagen has worked for me, so far, much better than I ever imagined. - Bill

And a few negative.
● I recently took Lactagen for the recommended time and - NO DIFFERENCE!!! I'm still suffering with same effects from dairy intake. It actually seems worse! - Cheryl

● I ordered Lactagen and followed the directions perfectly, ate the yogurt like I was supposed to and after 39 days introduced the dairy back into my diet and ate dairy faithfully every week. The problem I ran into was after about 2 months I once again began having lactose intolerance symptoms, bloating, diarrhea, but I also get flu like symptoms, general malaise, and lack of energy and an overall draggy feeling like a hangover or early flu stage. I went back on the lactagen again and have continued to take 2-3 large scoops per day and more if I ingest a large amount of dairy. - Norrene

● By the way, I did the Lactagen program a year ago; at first it worked; I was ecstatic. Then it wore off. However, the Lactaid pills now work extremely well for me whereas before Lactagen, they did not! AND, I can also tolerate small amounts of milk products without anything... So if others ask, that's my experience with it. - Judy

● I recently visited your web page and noticed that you were soliciting responses about Lactagen so I wanted to share my experience.

The short explanation is it did not work. I originally purchased the product and followed the program exactly. However, I still had symptoms. Over the course of the next 2 months I periodically spoke to Lactagen representatives. None seemed to have a consistent answer to what I should do. Some told me that it was typical to have symptoms and that I should just continue on with the process while others advised me to return to a previous day (hence extending my time on the program). Once I had "completed" the program, I was not able to eat any dairy products without symptoms.

After a couple of months I decided to try it again. I called Lactagen and was charged shipping for a new canister to be sent to me (based on the money back guarantee) and began the process again. I finally gave up after 9 weeks of constant symptoms. Although the representatives were friendly, they rarely gave any insight into why I was still having symptoms and normally just suggested that I return to a few days earlier on the program.

It was, by far, the most frustrating experience of my "lactose intolerant" life. I am severely lactose intolerant. I cannot ingest any amount of dairy without having a reaction, so the thought of a cure was amazing. Unfortunately that was not the case. - Bab

More positives than negatives overall.

I've only included comments received via email since late 2005. For earlier comments, see my previous blog entries about Lactagen: Lactagen Response - It Worked for Her and Lactagen - Questions, No Answers

Bottom line. If you can afford it, then certainly give it a try. Remember, though, it's a solution - to the symptoms of lactose intolerance - not a cure. You can still overwhelm your system with too much dairy. And the same things that knock out any intestinal bacteria - a gastrointestinal illness, a course of antibiotics - will probably also wipe out the Lactagen probiotics.

Are there less pricy alternatives? Yes. I'll take a look at one of them tomorrow.

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11 comments:

Anonymous said...

Here's my experience with Lactagen: it works for some people, but doesn't work for everyone. It worked for my brother's wife, but didn't work for me. And even though she is able to digest dairy, she still has lots of gas (farting, basically) even though the diarrhea is under control. I've called the company several times to resolve my issue and/or get my 100% money back guarantee which is SUPPOSED to be good for 6 months and all they did was pressure me to try more and more Lactagen. Customer service reps there are incompetent, the owner of the company, Andrew Ritter is a slimeball who is just out to make as much money as he can before Lactaid comes along and makes a similar product. Horrible company, mediocre product, mixed results.

Anonymous said...

Hi,
I'm the mother of a daughter with recently diagnosed severe lactose intolerance. I also happen to work in the medical research field. Although I don't want to crush the hopes of a cure for lactose intolerance I caution everyone to be critical of the claims of the Lactagen producers. I have read the so called clinical study report that they provide on-line and am not very impressed. Looking at their "background" and reference list, their rationale for why their product would work is shaky at best. Also their report is not published in any scientific peer-reviewed journal. We are simply to believe their claims.
I caution everybody to not be taken advantage of by this company and if you have already tried their product and had increased problems it is probably because it contains lactose (which is stated in their report). This company is just out to make a quick buck, preying on lactose intolerant people.
We humans are the only mammals that feed our young milk beyond infancy and perhaps we need to adjust to the fact that many of us do not produce lactase in adulthood. Let's instead make great food that is milk free!

Steve Carper said...

Yes, I have suspicions about the mechanics and philosophy of Lactagen myself. Some of its help may be psychological. I see no way for it to be harmful, however, and as long as people report good results I will say so.

Unfortunately, I have to take issue with your statement that "We humans are the only mammals that feed our young milk beyond infancy and perhaps we need to adjust to the fact that many of us do not produce lactase in adulthood. Let's instead make great food that is milk free!"

This particular comment is one of my pet peeves. It is a slogan, designed to stop thought rather than provoke thought.

We are the only mammals who cook food, too. Does that mean we should stop? We are the only mammals who farm? Should we accept that and just gather nuts and berries?

There are 10,000 things that humans do that no other mammal does. Drinking milk beyond the age of weaning is just one of them.

I say we should celebrate all the 10,000 ways we are different from other animals and make the most of them every day of our lives!

Anonymous said...

I've been looking to try Lactagen. I'm tired of remembering to carry Lact-aid with me or having the choice of an upset stomach when I simply must have ice cream with my kids. (I have a mild case so I won't be laid up for going off the wagon.) My order is on its way. I'll post back later after my 38 days.

I thought I'd let you know that I saved 20% on Lactagen through Cashbaq.

Anonymous said...

I am on day 18 on Lactagen ... in the middle I was feeling nauseous after taking it but seems like it passed ... let's see what happens, I have a week and a half to go.

One thing, be careful when you purchase lactagen, they ask you if you wasnt to try another product (for good digestion or something like that) for free together with lactagen, if you say yes they are going to charge you $35/month 'till you call and cancel ... !! They did it to me and I was shocked.
They said they will give me a refund but I haven't seen it yet.

Anyway, good luck if you decide to try it.

Anonymous said...

I am still in the middle of the program, though I have to say that customer care is pretty incompetent. When you call you can basically reach only 2 people, Audrey or a guy. If you are having a problem, Audrey would tell you to proceed in one way and if you call again and talk to the guy about the same issue, the guy would tell you o proceed in a different way (without knowing what Audrey had suggested to do).
Well, this shows lack of competence and it also shows that they are not consistent in their answers, which takes us back to incompetence. I usually do what makes more sense to me among the 2 different answers I get.

daisygrlcc said...

I am one day away from having a glass of milk for the first time in 15 years and scared! But my ? is has anyone taken Lactagen while pregnant???? I am only 3-4 weeks along but I can't get anyone to tell me if this will affect my baby!! Audrey told me she didn't know. No one at Lactagen will tell me anything and my Dr. said he doesn't know. HELP!! Pregnancy isn't planned- so this makes it even scarier. My husband and I are so concerned.

Steve Carper said...

Lactagen does not reveal what its exact ingredients are. However, there is no indication that its primary ingredient is anything other than a type of probiotic bacteria. That makes it no different from a spoonful of yogurt.

Everybody who sells a product is horribly worried about liability. People can and will sue over any issue, and the only defense is to have rock solid proof. That would mean controlled, double-blind longitudinal tests with thousands of people lasting years. The tests would costs millions of dollars and could not possibly be affordable for a small company like Lactagen. It's only alternative is not to make any safety claims at all.

I can't make any claims for them either. For one thing, I don't know all the facts. For another, I could equally well be sued if I told you to use a product that might be harmful.

So I am not telling you to use it. I will say that I can't think of any way any ingredient that is likely to be in Lactagen could cause any harm to a fetus. Lactagen is not in any way a drug. It's basically yogurt in a capsule. Could the proprietary strain of bacteria used harm someone? Could some additional ingredient, if there is one, do so? I suppose that's conceivable, although I have not heard of any cases of any illness resulting from Lactagen except for symptoms that indicate that it was not working as a preventative against lactose intolerance.

Panic is not helpful, now or at any time. Take a reasoned look at what the product is and whether it could prove harmful and in what ways. Then make an informed decision.

Anonymous said...

On that last note, regarding sufficient testing, it looks like exactly that is happening. The company, Ritter, has a drug in clinical trials with the FDA that sounds nearly identical to Lactagen. http://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01113619
That they would bother with such an expense is a comforting show of good faith.

Anonymous said...

I hope the FDA will approve it. When you have to have a RX for it maybe theisurance companies will cover it. Wouldn't that be great?

Frank Hertel said...

I tryed LACTAGEN quite a few years ago and it worked. However, after going through followup Xray therapy, after prostate surgery, and the strong Anti-biotics associated with the surgery, it appears that I need to ingest another treatment of Lactagen to get back to tollerating dairy. Anti-biotics seemed to really kill off the good stuff in my gut and I'd bet that many that complain of the treatment wearing off are those that have taken anti-biotics.