4 ms·

If you don’t mind me asking, how did you become lactose intolerant? I don’t know much about that aspect of biology.

seanmcdirmid 7y ago
You don’t become lactose intolerant; you become lactose tolerant via genetic mutation. This is a mutation that originated in Northern Europe but not in east or South Asia.
- astura 7y ago
  One does not "become lactose tolerant," humans are born lactose tolerant, after all their primary food for the first few months of life is milk. A lactose intolerant baby is very rare. Lactose intolerance happens with age in X% of the population. The ones who don't become lactose intolerance simply retain their lactase production that they've always have had.
- danans 7y ago
  This study suggests that tolerance is around 18% in South Asia, and that it originated in the Middle-east, not Europe: https://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2011/09/14/lactose-tolerance-in-the-indian-dairyland/ https://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2011/09/14/lactose-toler...
stevenwoo 7y ago
A large percentage of people become lactose intolerant as they become adults, IIRC only a segment of people from all over the world (concentrated somewhat in Europe and parts of Africa) retain the ability to digest lactose into adulthood, east Asian here I personally started getting slight indigestion from milk but not ice cream or cheese in my 20's.
astura 7y ago
Age. In some people lactase production decreases with age. Same thing that causes male pattern baldness - age - even thought it doesn't happen to everybody.
roland35 7y ago
I wish I knew! I had a few minor medical procedures done (wisdom teeth, under anesthesia) and then later on in the year I started getting stomach aches all the time. I don't know if that is just correlation though. I went to a GI doctor later in the year and did the lactose test to confirm it, but I wish I figured it out sooner! The doctor told me that everyone gets more lactose intolerant to an extent as they get older, but I unfortunately have it pretty extreme in my 30's. It does force me to eat healthy whole foods though, as most processed junk foods now make me sick! So overall not so bad. As some other commented, lactose tolerance is more of a spectrum and not a black/white thing. You may be OK with a baked product like cake but not be able to handle a milkshake for example.
ulises314 7y ago
My bet is that, like most mammals, by becoming an adult.

You don’t become lactose intolerant; you become lactose tolerant via genetic mutation. This is a mutation that originated in Northern Europe but not in east or South Asia.

astura 7y ago
One does not "become lactose tolerant," humans are born lactose tolerant, after all their primary food for the first few months of life is milk. A lactose intolerant baby is very rare. Lactose intolerance happens with age in X% of the population. The ones who don't become lactose intolerance simply retain their lactase production that they've always have had.
danans 7y ago
This study suggests that tolerance is around 18% in South Asia, and that it originated in the Middle-east, not Europe: https://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2011/09/14/lactose-tolerance-in-the-indian-dairyland/ https://sciencelife.uchospitals.edu/2011/09/14/lactose-toler...

stevenwoo 7y ago

A large percentage of people become lactose intolerant as they become adults, IIRC only a segment of people from all over the world (concentrated somewhat in Europe and parts of Africa) retain the ability to digest lactose into adulthood, east Asian here I personally started getting slight indigestion from milk but not ice cream or cheese in my 20's.

astura 7y ago

Age. In some people lactase production decreases with age. Same thing that causes male pattern baldness - age - even thought it doesn't happen to everybody.

roland35 7y ago

I wish I knew! I had a few minor medical procedures done (wisdom teeth, under anesthesia) and then later on in the year I started getting stomach aches all the time. I don't know if that is just correlation though. I went to a GI doctor later in the year and did the lactose test to confirm it, but I wish I figured it out sooner! The doctor told me that everyone gets more lactose intolerant to an extent as they get older, but I unfortunately have it pretty extreme in my 30's. It does force me to eat healthy whole foods though, as most processed junk foods now make me sick! So overall not so bad. As some other commented, lactose tolerance is more of a spectrum and not a black/white thing. You may be OK with a baked product like cake but not be able to handle a milkshake for example.

ulises314 7y ago

My bet is that, like most mammals, by becoming an adult.