VaperCaper
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- Joined
- May 21, 2013
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Just done some more reading on lactose intolerance. Breast milk is about 7% Lactose - Cow/sheep/goat milk about 4% lactose. Apparently yoghurt contains lactase that's produced by the bacteria making the yoghurt which helps break it down for lactose intolerant people.
Apparently Lactose intolerance is genetic and you can either digest lactose or you can't. You can also be allergic to milk protein, which gives similar symptoms but is a different cause and is often confused for lactose intolerance.
It seems that most mammals lose the ability to digest lactose (i.e. they stop making their own lactase not long after weaning) but humans have evolved the ability to keep producing lactase relatively recently though it varies depending on race. ~95% of Europeans can digest milk ~10% of Africans can. However in all but very rare cases human infants do produce lactase until they are weaned.
So how much milk you drink when you're young seems to have little to do with it.
You can also lose the ability to produce lactase by getting some diseases or injuries.
Apparently Lactose intolerance is genetic and you can either digest lactose or you can't. You can also be allergic to milk protein, which gives similar symptoms but is a different cause and is often confused for lactose intolerance.
It seems that most mammals lose the ability to digest lactose (i.e. they stop making their own lactase not long after weaning) but humans have evolved the ability to keep producing lactase relatively recently though it varies depending on race. ~95% of Europeans can digest milk ~10% of Africans can. However in all but very rare cases human infants do produce lactase until they are weaned.
So how much milk you drink when you're young seems to have little to do with it.
You can also lose the ability to produce lactase by getting some diseases or injuries.
