|
Post by thewalker on May 14, 2004 19:44:36 GMT -5
Sorry if there has already been a thread about this, but does anyone know the reason(s) why lactose intolerance is least common in Northern Europeans and most common in Asians and Africans?
Is the answer obvious (i.e. the groups that can handle lactose historically have consumed more dairy products) or are there other factors involved?
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 19, 2004 18:01:19 GMT -5
It's very obvious! it has nothing to do with race, but with darwin laws! there are African tribes (fulani in Africa who lives in a culture dedicated allmoust to cows), they are allmoust all lactose tolerant. the lactose intolerant had a significant disadvantage in a culture like this one. (they died younger , and were weaker and smaller, milk was a poison to them...) It was only required 2000 year...nothing more to make some of this "tolerant" tribes. 90-95% of the world is intolerant most of the tolerant are in Europe (more in north and west). www.scienceinafrica.co.za/2002/june/lactose.htmI live in portugal (southwest of europe), and when I say to someone that there are people intolerant to lactose and they are the majority in the world, they do not believe in me... I really don't know what are the ratios of lactose intolerants in Portugal I guess a little lower than in the sweden, something like Belgic (80-85% are tolerant), I do know lots of people in Portugal and I do not know anyone who is intolerant... We were once (a shepperd people), we have very old cow, sheep and sheeperdogs races! some of those shepperd dogs races: "Serra da estrela" "rafeiro Alentejano" some say these are probably 2 of the most old races of shepperd dogs present in the world... more much more than 5000 years! I guess we were acostumed to drink milk probably after the last Ice age, that changed our biology!
|
|
|
Post by Graeme on May 20, 2004 9:53:16 GMT -5
The point about lactose intolerance is that it is just about universal and lactose tolerators or those people who produce lactase after childhood are in the minority in the world. In Europe even in countries that consume lots of unfermented milk there is a significant minority who are lactose intolerant. In Australia a country mostly of Anglo-Saxons and Irish Kelts there is support group for lactose intolerant people. In every population there will be people who are different from the herd whether it is lactose intolerance in Australia or coeliac disease among wheat and rye growers. Europeans are the main people who drink unfermented milk or consume wheat and rye products so the rates of lactose intolerance and coeliac disease are low.
|
|
|
Post by thewalker on May 20, 2004 17:45:36 GMT -5
Interesting. My family is all Greek and only my maternal grandfather was lactose intolerant. He could handle yogurt and cheese but milk would give him diarrhea.
Personally I find I'm the opposite (i.e. if I don't have any milk in a day my stomach will get really acidic and upset).
|
|
jul
Junior Member
Posts: 80
|
Post by jul on May 22, 2004 12:48:45 GMT -5
What i think what worse on lactose intolerance in euroland (or in germany)is, that it is such a unknown thing. I mean the phsican here do a bunch of tests with you but dont come up to such a simple and easy result. I nearly had to die before someone came up with this. In the advertising they tell you: *Milk make you healthy and strong (yadayada...) and even medicine has some in what is on lactose based. I wonder why its not more in the media...I mean 80 percent even 90 % means that the other cant stand and even 10% would be some million of people in Europa isnt it like that?
|
|
|
Post by murphee on May 22, 2004 13:21:22 GMT -5
It's very common. My husband, who has French Hugenot, Irish, English & Amerindian ancestry, is lactose intolerant. Many people who are can handle small amounts of cultured milk products such as yogurt and cheese.
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 23, 2004 5:35:17 GMT -5
What i think what worse on lactose intolerance in euroland (or in germany)is, that it is such a unknown thing. I mean the phsican here do a bunch of tests with you but dont come up to such a simple and easy result. I nearly had to die before someone came up with this. In the advertising they tell you: *Milk make you healthy and strong (yadayada...) and even medicine has some in what is on lactose based. I wonder why its not more in the media...I mean 80 percent even 90 % means that the other cant stand and even 10% would be some million of people in Europa isnt it like that? Drinking milk is Good, no question about it! Look at those african tribes that consume milk, they are the biggest humans around 2 meters is not uncommon! The portuguese after a few centuries without drinking milk (no money for that...no milk drinking habit after that), are getting taller, we are reaching our potencial height (Of course in an ancient portugal we did drink sheep/cow milk). Why? there is a new generation accostumed to milk... we were weak at some sports like voleiball (few player to choose from), and now we can face any of the best voleiball teams in the world and expect to win (or loose of course), we beat germany and almoust did the same thing to poland, allmoust... Our average height at 20 year old males surpass already the belgians males height... Our average height in males (in Lisbon at least, the richest region with the highest drinking milk habit in Portugal) in the ealier 20's is about 6 feet (180 cms), above some nordic countries... Of course at the earlier 30's it drops sharply! very interesting... I like to keep fish (I have 2 aquariums), I have one of those hard to keep fishes that don't grow well, they became stunted if not feed well. these fish might get 25 cms or only 7 cms, and at a certain age don't grow anymore... Culture does in fact change genetics, but external elements can also change the output of that genetics... The average british in the beginning of the XX century were a lot smaller...A LOT... I think everybody with childreen at growing ages, should test their's kids for intolerance, milk don't do any good for them, and there are other stuff better suited (vegetables with lots of calcium, and a lot of meat for protein). good info about this www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/IRheight.htmwww.betaller.com/height.htmlRace in europe might not have anything to do with height... regards!
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 23, 2004 6:10:02 GMT -5
|
|
|
Post by Graeme on May 23, 2004 8:10:11 GMT -5
Lactose Intolerance does not kill people. It gives abdominal discomfort, gas and sometimes diarrhoea. Yes the results are unpleasant, but hardly life threatening. There is always fermented milk or yoghurt which is as nutritious as fresh milk. In Europe I would expect that Southerners would be more lactose intolerant than Northerners due to diet and food preferences.
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 23, 2004 14:26:55 GMT -5
It's another west to east issue... more intolerance in the East.
even fermented milk is tough for lactose intolerants.
|
|
|
Post by alex221166 on May 23, 2004 17:13:59 GMT -5
Lactose Intolerance does not kill people. It gives abdominal discomfort, gas and sometimes diarrhoea. Yes the results are unpleasant, but hardly life threatening. There is always fermented milk or yoghurt which is as nutritious as fresh milk. In Europe I would expect that Southerners would be more lactose intolerant than Northerners due to diet and food preferences. I don't know anyone who is lactose intolerant. I don't think many Portuguese are...
|
|
|
Post by Graeme on May 24, 2004 10:23:31 GMT -5
A lot of people don't even know that they are lactose intolerant as they usually only drink small amounts of milk or drink milk infrequently and have little or mild symptoms. In Australia most people have cereal flakes with milk and drink a glass of milk for breakfast. I don't think that quantity would affect too many people. I would think that countries with strong dairy and cheese making customs would probably have less lactose intolerance. Greece, Italy and France are big on cheese. Not sure about Spain and Portugal, but there must be many types of native cheeses there.
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 24, 2004 12:11:19 GMT -5
that is true Graeme... In Portugal we have lots of cheese, but most of them from goat or sheep, In the region I live (near lisbon), there are no cow typical cheese! That is were I live, in the north and south interior, there are cow typical cheese...and typical portuguese cow races, red cows... Arouquesa Mirandesa Alentejana Of course we have cows/bulls only for touradas...
|
|
Scoob
Full Member
Posts: 157
|
Post by Scoob on May 27, 2004 12:58:06 GMT -5
Lactose is milk sugar (common to all mammals) and every type of milk, including human, cow, coat, etc contains lactose.
Hard cheeses (including parmesan) contain much less lactose than most soft cheeses. I'm not sure about feta.
Lactose intolerance in the USA is more common amongst S Europeans than N, but is found at some frequencies in all groups. Countries with virtually no lactose intolerance include Britain (not including new immigrants) and Scandinavian nations.
Almost all adult mammals are lactose intolerant. Classifying it as a disorder is incorrect. Some humans have mutations for lactose retention into adulthood. These including NW Europeans, some African tribes, and some Arabs. I believe these are all separate mutations. Lactose retention in populations is associated with historic diary consumption.
|
|
|
Post by Vitor on May 27, 2004 15:32:35 GMT -5
maybe that is because americans put mestizos, indians and south europeans in the same race group...(latinos...)
Amerindians have no lactose tolerace at all, like most asians...
|
|