> when dairy has been a massively important staple of advanced societies for thousands of years
“Approximately 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Lactase nonpersistence is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent, with 70 to 100 percent of people affected in these communities. Lactase nonpersistence is also very common in people of West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent” [1].
Digesting cow’s milk relies on a new gene (<10,000 years old) that evolved in Northern Europe, East Africa and the Middle East [2]. Most adults—65 to 90%—have some degree of lactose intolerance. It’s simply untrue that dairy has been a staple of even a plurality of advanced civilisations over history.
But the quoted poster said "dairy", not milk. Lots of dairy has little to no lactose, from butter to cream-cheeses to indeed cream itself (clotted, double, or even the liquid 30% fat "whipping cream") to yogurts / kefirs, and pretty much all kinds of cheeses too...
I can't handle milk either, or anything high-lactose. The above things, though, no prob. I'd guess most of the "lactose-intolerant" will do alright with moderate (non-binge) amounts of such low- (but not no-) lactose foods.
Variations of all those are indeed much-loved staples all over the world, whether of the cow or the goat or the sheep (or gazelle? caribou? ruminant species abound!) variety, depending on regional grazing conditions I guess.
How "biologically recently" are you talking about ? In India, milk has been there since the first domestication of cattle 8000 years ago. Ancient Indian civilization was built on milk. Not only was it drunk regularly but it was also turned into ghee.
> How "biologically recently" are you talking about ? In India, milk has been there since the first domestication of cattle 8000 years ago
10,000 years. See top comment.
North Indian lactase was inherited from the Middle East. (I’m Northern Indian, in large part.)
"Staple" has a specific meaning: it's a significant source of calories. For North Indians, this is true of dairy. For India as a whole, it's not true even today [1].
The entire nation of India has essentially lived on milk for thousands of years. Tribes in East Africa essentially only live on meat, milk and blood. All of Central Asia has always lived on milk from livestock. It’s pretty much everyone other than pre Columbian South Americans and East Asians. Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, the Egyptians, Mesopotamians, Indus Valley civilization etc.
Things are not so cut and dry. For instance, did you know that a diet which includes fermented dairy populates the gut biome with bacteria that will break it down for you[1][2]? And that the placebo effect plays a role in symptoms of lactose intolerance[3]? The idea that milk wasn't drunk in East Asia in antiquity is a misconception as well. It was artificially dropped in Ancient China while assimilating pastoral societies as part of a larger scale dietary reform[4].
Additionally, cow milk represents a single dairy product amongst a plethora of ones. Everything from Horse milk to Goat's milk is consumed globally, and much dairy is consumed as further processed food like fermented milk, yogurt, cheeses, etc. which generally aren't considered by Americans when talking about dairy, for whatever reason, even when supposedly attempting to "unplug" from the dairy industry's propaganda.
Moderate lactose intolerance might also be a symptom of Western diets rich in processed food. I also had it for most part of 15 years. Then I discovered that I could drink whole milk in small quantities if combined with cereal or cacao. During this time I continued to consume yoghurts and other dairy products. For a time I even made my own yoghurt or kefir because I could not consume whole milk so it was only logical to ferment it.
It's more prevalent in South Eastern Europe, where people have traditionally fermented the milk into yoghurt for centuries. The US is actually on par with France, they might make it more of an issue than it is.
i get the opposite take from this info. the fact that, in just 10,000 years, the gene spread to over 1/3 of the population shows how useful of an adaptation it is.
Of course it’s useful. Particularly while kids are young, it’s a nutrient-dense food source that helps fuel immune systems being uniquely taxed by our post-agrarian densification (and cultivation of farm mammals immunologically similar to us, thereby giving rise to plagues).
The fact that it’s new means it’s necessarily loosely integrated. So if you aren’t in a calorie-deficient dietary environment, it follows that it can be assumed to not be an ideal nutrient source (even while remaining an ideal food source). And we see that. Milk consumption causes all manner of inflammatory responses. Because of course. It’s, in essence, another mammal’s filtered blood.
Many today eat dairy knowing they are lactose-intolerant even without their pills, because it is delicious and satisfying. The past wasn't so different[1]. The Mongols conquered 15% of the world eating saddle yogurt.
Who cares, so you fart a little. Plus if you just don’t care and just power through, it almost completely goes away. The only times I’ve had lactose intolerance is when I go long periods without any milk product and then reintroduce it into my diet. Totally worth essentially having something so nutritional complete at a very cheap price.
If you have IBS-C, then a little fart is experienced as being doubled over in pain for hours, being unable to sleep because of the pain and wondering whether you have a medical emergency. Not everyone is the same.
"Simply untrue" is not accurate. "History" starts after written records 3200bc so well within 10k BC, "Dairy" includes cheese which existed through all of history as in written records and before electricity people could not store pure milk.
From your links: "Harpending and co-author Gregory Cochran, both at the University of Utah, argue that the ability to digest lactose shaped human history. Lactose-tolerant populations, they claim, could better survive famines, and may also have been better conquerors, aiding the spread of their civilizations and cultures."
Nope. I also love cheese and yoghurt and milk chocolate and process lactose very well. I recognise, however, dairy as the indulgence it is. It's not a smart staple for most people, including most kids. (If your kid isn't fat, it's probably fine.)
Because some vegans tend to be militant about their food preferences, and incapable of having a conversation about food choices without turning it into a moralizing mess.
“Approximately 65 percent of the human population has a reduced ability to digest lactose after infancy. Lactase nonpersistence is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent, with 70 to 100 percent of people affected in these communities. Lactase nonpersistence is also very common in people of West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent” [1].
Digesting cow’s milk relies on a new gene (<10,000 years old) that evolved in Northern Europe, East Africa and the Middle East [2]. Most adults—65 to 90%—have some degree of lactose intolerance. It’s simply untrue that dairy has been a staple of even a plurality of advanced civilisations over history.
[1] https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/lactose-intoleran...
[2] https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/lactose-toleranc...