No More Milk and Cookies for Santa Claus?

New Lactose Intolerance Diagnosis Makes Dairy Less Merry for Santa This Year

FORT WASHINGTON, Pa., Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Millions of Americans will soon participate in the time-honored Christmas Eve tradition of leaving milk and cookies out for Santa Claus. But this year, that glass of milk may present a problem for Saint Nick, who recently shared that he suffers from lactose intolerance.
According to The LACTAID® Brand(1) holiday survey, 48% of adults who have left something for Santa have offered up the traditional plate of cookies and a glass of milk. However, like the estimated 30 to 50 million other Americans who are lactose intolerant(2), Santa Claus can no longer digest the milk sugars found in dairy and often experiences unpleasant side effects as a result. This means that drinking all of those glasses of milk each Christmas Eve can result in a very uncomfortable ride back to the North Pole.

"For years, I've felt ho-ho-horrible after my night-time milk and cookie stops, but I always thought I'd just eaten one too many holiday goodies," said Santa Claus in a recent interview from his workshop. "Now that I know that I'm lactose intolerant, I'll be looking for something else to wash down my favorite sweet treats this year."

Lucky for Santa, lactose intolerance is one of the most common digestive disorders and symptoms can be easily and effectively managed without eliminating dairy. With a little help from the makers of LACTAID® Brand Products, Mrs. Claus has stocked Santa's workshop with his favorite lactose-free milk, new holiday eggnog, and ice cream products.

With Christmas Eve rapidly approaching, Santa asks all Americans to be sensitive to his new condition and spread the word: If you're going to offer up some holiday tidings this year, make Santa's glass of milk lactose-free. With nearly half of Americans believing that milk is Santa's favorite beverage(1), a few cartons of LACTAID® Milk will make for a much more pleasant sleigh ride home -- and maybe a few extra stocking stuffers from a very grateful Saint Nick.