4 ms·

it's pretty obvious this is what I don't get: author says most should avoid dairy, you (and others) say it's easy to recognize problems with eating it. Yet the

by stinos 11y ago

it's pretty obvious this is what I don't get: author says most should avoid dairy, you (and others) say it's easy to recognize problems with eating it. Yet the vast majority of all people I know have no problems with dairy whatsoever. So is the author wrong, does he mean something else, do I live with people who can't recognize problems originating from dairy use or do I live with a special subgroup of people who all happen to have no problem with dairy?

nothrabannosir 11y ago
It took me 26 years to realize dairy was the problem. It's hard to see the cloud from within.
scott_s 11y ago
From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance, "The frequency of lactose intolerance ranges from 5% in Northern European to more than 90% in some African and Asian countries." It seems to depend on the region of the world your ancestors are from. Those cultures which used milk as a food source for adults tend to have lower incidences of lactose intolerance.
fluxion 11y ago
Approximately 65% of the worlds population suffers from a diminished ability to digest dairy after childhood, see http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance. That said lactose intolerance usually doesn't occur in people of European descent so I would imagine you happen to live in s special subgroup who has no such problem.
apendleton 11y ago
For dairy in particular, it's the last one. Globally, lactose persistence (the opposite of lactose intolerance) is a minority trait that appears to have arisen in populations that raised domesticated cattle, but not elsewhere. Most African and southeast Asian adults, for example, are lactose intolerant. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence
- nkrisc 11y ago
  I just wanted to point out that African and Asian adults would certainly constitute "most" people, based on population. As I understand it, populations that can consume dairy tend to be centered on Northern Europe, a very small fraction of the global population. I'll only speak for myself, but I was first thrown off by the "most" part as well, until I realized I had a pretty Euro-centric view of it. "Most people I know have no problem with dairy," I thought to myself. Then I remembered most people I know have European ancestry.
- mfoy_ 11y ago
  Not to nitpick, but it's "lactase" persistence. Lactase is the enzyme which breaks down lactose. People without lactase in their gut cannot digest lactose, hence "lactose intolerance" in those without "lactase persistence".
lfowles 11y ago
It's pretty obvious when you connect the dots, but lactose intolerance (like many things) is a spectrum. Personally, milk with my cereal occasionally is fine, but I have a pretty bad night if I mow down a full bowl of ice cream (or as I am wont to do yearly, several glasses of egg nog).

by stinos 11y ago

nothrabannosir 11y ago

It took me 26 years to realize dairy was the problem. It's hard to see the cloud from within.

scott_s 11y ago

From https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance, "The frequency of lactose intolerance ranges from 5% in Northern European to more than 90% in some African and Asian countries." It seems to depend on the region of the world your ancestors are from. Those cultures which used milk as a food source for adults tend to have lower incidences of lactose intolerance.

fluxion 11y ago

Approximately 65% of the worlds population suffers from a diminished ability to digest dairy after childhood, see http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance. That said lactose intolerance usually doesn't occur in people of European descent so I would imagine you happen to live in s special subgroup who has no such problem.

apendleton 11y ago

For dairy in particular, it's the last one. Globally, lactose persistence (the opposite of lactose intolerance) is a minority trait that appears to have arisen in populations that raised domesticated cattle, but not elsewhere. Most African and southeast Asian adults, for example, are lactose intolerant. See https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactase_persistence

nkrisc 11y ago
I just wanted to point out that African and Asian adults would certainly constitute "most" people, based on population. As I understand it, populations that can consume dairy tend to be centered on Northern Europe, a very small fraction of the global population. I'll only speak for myself, but I was first thrown off by the "most" part as well, until I realized I had a pretty Euro-centric view of it. "Most people I know have no problem with dairy," I thought to myself. Then I remembered most people I know have European ancestry.
mfoy_ 11y ago
Not to nitpick, but it's "lactase" persistence. Lactase is the enzyme which breaks down lactose. People without lactase in their gut cannot digest lactose, hence "lactose intolerance" in those without "lactase persistence".

lfowles 11y ago

It's pretty obvious when you connect the dots, but lactose intolerance (like many things) is a spectrum. Personally, milk with my cereal occasionally is fine, but I have a pretty bad night if I mow down a full bowl of ice cream (or as I am wont to do yearly, several glasses of egg nog).