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Devil_May_Kare t1_ja2kggc wrote

Reply to comment by DirtyProtest in ELI5: if you’re lactose intolerant, why does the lactose cause bowel distress instead of passing through inertly? by chemstu69

I don't think there's a significant effect. Just because there's fermentation happening doesn't mean a lot of alcohol is being produced. It's probably similar bacteria to the first population active in sauerkraut, which produce a lot of bubbling and a negligible amount of alcohol.

Also there isn't very much lactose in milk. Even if you ferment it with a yeast that turns it into alcohol fairly efficiently, milk won't pass 2.5% ABV, which is half the strength of beer.

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