LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Lactulose
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Lactulose is a disaccharide: a sugar molecule composed of two smaller sugar molecules bonded together, in this case fructose and galactose. (The suffix “ose” denotes a sugar molecule.) Mammals and birds are not able to digest lactulose so it passes unabsorbed from mouth all the way down to the large intestine. There, the resident large numbers of bacteria are able to digest the lactulose and consume it as their own food. In doing so these bacteria produce lactic, acetic, and formic acid and carbon dioxide gas. The acids biochemically draw fluid into the bowel to soften the stool, hence the common use of lactulose as a laxative. The acidification of the colon contents attracts ammonia from the bloodstream and traps it there to be excreted with the stool. This is very helpful for patients in liver failure as their diseased livers are not able to detoxify ammonia; excess ammonia in the blood stream leads to a form of dementia called “hepatic encephalopathy.”
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Lactulose is a semisynthetic disaccharide comprised of the sugars D-galactose and D-fructose. It is not found naturally. The sugars are joined by a beta glycosidic linkage making it resistant to hydrolysis by human digestive enzymes. There is no disaccharidase in the microvillus membrane of small intestine enterocytes that can hydrolyze lactulose; nor is the disaccharide absorbed from the small intestine. Lactulose is... fermented by a limited number of colonic bacteria. This can lead to changes in the colonic ecosystem in favor of some bacteria, such as lactobacilli and bifidobacteria, which may confer some health benefits.
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Lactulose has an overly sweet taste that can be completely masked by mixing it with fruit juice or desserts. It can take 24 to 48 hours to work, but generally produces results within 4 hours if taken on a daily basis. It is best taken at breakfast along with a bowl of bran cereal.
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Lactulose may promote the growth of favorable bacterial populations, such as bifidobacteria, in the colon. Bifidobacteria may inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, such as Clostridium perfringens and diarrheogenic Escherichia coli. The stimulation of the growth of bacteria, such as bifidobacteria, may have other health benefits, such as protection against cancer of the colon. Lactulose is referred to as a bifidogenic factor. Substances such as lactulose that promote the growth of beneficial bacteria in the colon are called prebiotics. Prebiotics are typically nondigestible oligosaccharides.
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Lactulose is a synthetic sugar used to treat constipation. It is broken down in the colon into products that pull water out from the body and into the colon. This water softens stools. Lactulose is ... used to reduce the amount of ammonia in the blood of patients with liver disease. It works by drawing ammonia from the blood into the colon where it is removed from the body.
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Lactulose is known as an 'osmotic laxative'. Lactulose is made up of sugar molecules which are broken down by the bacteria that live in the lower part of the gut. This leads to the contents of the gut becoming more acidic. The acidification of the contents of the gut causes a reduction in the absorption of a chemical called ammonia. The presence of ammonia in the gut causes water to be drawn into the lower bowel, which causes an increase in the water content and volume of the stools, therefore relieving constipation.
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Lactulose