Man it was wild when my GI doc gave me the low-down on that. Like most everything in metabolic science its a “grey subject.”
Mammals naturally lose the ability to produce lactase as they wean off mother’s milk. However, humans, particularly Europeans and some areas of Africa have consumed dairy for long enough that we do maintain limited lactase production if it is introduced shortly after weaning. There is evidence in some areas of western Europe specifically, where life long production of lactase does appear to have evolved.
But for the majority of the world, yeah, they day we started weaning was the day we stopped being lactose tolerant.
But we don’t start that way. If we kept drinking breast milk since infancy, we’d maintain our ability to digest it just fine. It’s a “use it or lose it” situation.
I guess I was misconstruing based on how the trait to tolerate lactose came about (domestication of dairy animals). But lactose is in all mammal milk so guess I’m incorrect.
There’s only the tiny issue that most humans are lactose intolerant. Don’t believe me, look it up
Man it was wild when my GI doc gave me the low-down on that. Like most everything in metabolic science its a “grey subject.”
Mammals naturally lose the ability to produce lactase as they wean off mother’s milk. However, humans, particularly Europeans and some areas of Africa have consumed dairy for long enough that we do maintain limited lactase production if it is introduced shortly after weaning. There is evidence in some areas of western Europe specifically, where life long production of lactase does appear to have evolved.
But for the majority of the world, yeah, they day we started weaning was the day we stopped being lactose tolerant.
Yep that’s similar to what I’ve heard about it. I’ve had so many people not believe me that most people globally are not lactose tolerant!
But we don’t start that way. If we kept drinking breast milk since infancy, we’d maintain our ability to digest it just fine. It’s a “use it or lose it” situation.
That’s a theory… Definitely unverified
That’s cow’s milk.
Edit: guess I’m incorrect, I posted a link below on where I got confused.
I don’t think there’s a ton of difference actually. It’s a known phenomenon that all humans are born tolerating lactose but most lose it with time.
I guess I was misconstruing based on how the trait to tolerate lactose came about (domestication of dairy animals). But lactose is in all mammal milk so guess I’m incorrect.
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It’s all mammal milk