The health centers in Västra Götaland have noticed an increase in parents who want medical certificates for lactose intolerance to their children. The certificate is something that the schools require for the children to receive a special diet, but since it is medically not possible to prove lactose intolerance in children, the doctors believe that it is unjustified, something GP was the first to report.

- It takes up unnecessary time for us. It is not medically justifiable as it is not possible to prove if this is what you are suffering from. It is painful to be swollen in the stomach or have a stomach ache, but it may be due to things other than lactose as well. Still, those who have the lactose intolerant usually tolerate some lactose and it is enough to skip the drinking milk at school and take less of the food that contains a lot of milk, says primary care manager Maja Berndes.

Missing important topics

Another problem, according to Maja Berndes, is that the school food staff completely removes the milk in the dishes that should be lactose-free, which means that important nutrients are unnecessarily missed.

- If you completely remove milk it is good if you take any supplement, you may not count on it when you are "just" lactose intolerant, says Maja Berndes.