The galactose represents a six-carbon monosaccharide. It belongs to group of simple sugars and is present both at vegetable, and at animal organisms. In vegetable fabrics the galactose is capable to be transformed to glucose from which differs in arrangement in space of groups of the fourth atom of carbon. At a human body there is a component of lactose and a number of specific polysaccharides.
In chemical production the galactose is received by hydrolytic splitting of milk sugar. In medicine the galactose is applied when performing ultrasonographies as contrast means. Naturally the galactose in a human body is formed in intestines at lactose hydrolysis.
The galactose is a necessary element for normal functioning of an organism as actively participates in formation of glucose and lactose, especially important this element becomes for women in the period of a lactation as the galactose is an obligatory component for synthesis of lactose in chest glands. In case of deficiency of a galactose violation of exchange of a galactose, a so-called galactosemia develops. Such disease is especially dangerous to the small children eating maternal milk. At broken the child therefore concentration of a galactose in all body tissues sharply increases, vomiting, diarrhea, dehydration and decrease in body weight of the child are shown.
The galactosemia can become the reason of very serious consequences in the absence of the necessary restoring therapy. Violation of metabolism of a galactose in an organism is capable to lead to complications in work of a liver and brain and to a lethal outcome. Violation of exchange of a galactose and the related elements is critical for children on breastfeeding for the reason that lactose as a part of maternal milk is the only source of carbons for the child's organism. At violation of exchange processes to transform and process this component, important for an organism, becomes impossible therefore there are failures in work of all organism and serious consequences for its development.