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Still the majority of the world population is lactose intolerant and should not be consuming dairy at all. The ones that can digest it, do it usually less well
by vfc1 7y ago
Still the majority of the world population is lactose intolerant and should not be consuming dairy at all.
The ones that can digest it, do it usually less well than they think they do. Mild chronic diarrhea is prevalent is western countries, and a degree of dairy intolerance could very well be one of the factors.
It gets worse for most people with age, as elderly people can become lactose intolerant, fully or only slightly. This does not happen overnight, its a progressive thing, many people gradually stop being able to properly digest dairy.
- DiogenesKynikos 7y agoThere are different degrees of lactose tolerance, and a good fraction of the world's population is at least somewhat tolerant. Then there are regions of the world where almost all people are completely tolerant, like northern Europe. There are also lots of dairy products that contain little lactose, from lactose-free milk to cheese. And of course, it's pretty simple to just take lactase pills. From a completely subjective perspective, dairy products are some of the tastiest foods, and they're objectively a huge part of food culture in Europe. I don't foresee them going away.
- vfc1 7y agoI don't see them going away either, but I think that it's important that the public realizes that they are completely optional for good health. But there is this perception that they are absolutely essential due to decades of dairy industry advertising and lobbying, and it's simply not true.
- DiogenesKynikos 7y agoThey're not absolutely essential, but they are very nutritious, which is why the lactose tolerance gene has been so heavily selected for.