Does the sugar content in lactose free milk count towards the RDI of sugar? Added sugars are counted in, but is the sugar from milk counted in too?
Lactose is a natural sugar found in milk. The World Health Organization doesn’t count naturally occurring sugars, like lactose, in its recommendations for sugar intake.
Last updated 31/01/2025
Lactose-free milk has an enzyme called lactase that breaks down lactose into two simpler sugars: glucose and galactose. Both regular milk and lactose-free milk have about 5g of sugar per 100mL, but in lactose-free milk, the sugar is already broken down.
In Australia, there are no specific guidelines for how much sugar or carbohydrates we should get from foods (like a Recommended Daily Intake or RDI), but the National Health and Medical Research Council advises limiting discretionary or ‘junk foods’ containing added sugars, like those in soft drinks, cakes, and other sweets. The World Health Organization recommends that free sugars make up less than 10% of total daily energy intake, but this does not include the natural sugar in milk. This is because there is no evidence linking naturally occurring sugars (such as lactose from milk) with risk of disease.
References
1. Australian Food Composition Database
2. National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013.
3. World Health Organisation. Guideline: sugars intake for adults and children. Geneva; 2015.
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