Medicine: Milk Without Misery

Rich in nutrients—protein, minerals, vitamins and calories (150 per 8-oz. glass)—milk is considered one of the most essential foods. But not everyone benefits from drinking it. Surprisingly many people—including perhaps as many as 75% of American blacks—lack the enzyme that enables others to digest one of the most important ingredients of milk: lactose, or milk sugar.

Milk gives many of these people severe diarrhea.

Researchers have attempted to remove the lactose from milk. That solution is both expensive and self-defeating because it lowers the milk's vitamin content. Two University of Rhode Island researchers have announced a more practical recipe. Dr. Arthur Rand, a...