Mortality due to chronic liver disease is among the first five causes of mortality related to digestive tract and liver diseases in patients on productive age. One of the most frequent complications of chronic liver insufficiency is minimal hepatic encephalopathy (MHE), which affects the quality of life and predisposes to the development of clinical hepatic encephalopathy. There are few evidences on the therapeutic alternatives for minimal hepatic encephalopathy. The administration of non-absorbable disaccharides has been proven to ameliorate MHE. Lactose maldigestion may justify the use of lactose in patients with chronic liver disease as a non-absorbable disaccharide for the treatment of MHE.