Doctors of different ethnic groups were asked to make a self-diagnosis of the irritable bowel syndrome and intolerance to cows' milk: 13.3 per cent of white and 18.1 per cent of non-white doctors thought they had the irritable bowel syndrome. In non-white males, aged 25 to 49 years, the irritable bowel syndrome was significantly associated with an awareness of milk intolerance (p<0.0001). The stated milk consumption of doctors who were milk intolerant was less than the consumption of those not affected by milk. Further studies of the irritable bowel syndrome and lactase deficiency in non-hospital based populations are recommended.
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