Famine and Exposure to Infectious Diseases Explain Human Ability to Consume Milk

July 27, 2022 by Alexa Hornbeck
Famine and Exposure to Infectious Diseases Explain Human Ability to Consume Milk
(Photo by Couleur via Pixabay)

An article published on July 27 in Nature offers new insights into milk consumption and the evolution of lactose tolerance.

The study finds that famine and exposure to infectious diseases explain our ability to consume milk and other dairy products. 

To conduct the study, scientists from the University of Bristol, University College London and collaborators from 20 other countries mapped the prehistoric patterns of milk use over 9,000 years in Europe. 

They did this by assembling a database of the presence or absence of the lactase persistence genetic variant using published ancient DNA sequences from more than 1,700 prehistoric European and Asian individuals. 

The findings show that almost all adults 5,000 years ago would face problems if they drank too much milk, as lactose is a unique sugar that if not digested correctly can travel to the large intestine and cause cramps, diarrhea and lactose intolerance. 

Today, only about two-thirds of adults in the world suffer from lactose intolerance. 

The study finds that as populations and settlement sizes grew, and as famine conditions, disease and malnutrition rates increased, that the population prevalence of lactase persistence was pushed up. 

Researchers believe that as crops failed prehistoric people would have been more likely to consume unfermented, high-lactose milk, and those who did not carry a copy of the lactase persistence gene variant would have been more likely to die before or during their reproductive years. 

This means the lactase persistence gene variant was pushed to high frequency by some sort of turbocharged natural selection, according to researchers of the study.

Alexa can be reached at [email protected]

A+
a-

In The News

Health

Voting

Health

March 26, 2024
by Tom Ramstack
Supreme Court Skeptical of Ban on Abortion Pill Mifepristone

WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access... Read More

WASHINGTON — A hearing Tuesday before the Supreme Court indicated a majority of the justices want to maintain women’s access to the abortion pill mifepristone despite objections from anti-abortion activists. The doctors and organizations who sued argued the Food and Drug Administration was wrong in granting... Read More

March 26, 2024
by Dan McCue
Consumers Warned to Avoid Certain Topical Pain Relief Products 

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Tuesday not to use certain over-the-counter pain relief products marketed... Read More

WASHINGTON — The Food and Drug Administration warned consumers on Tuesday not to use certain over-the-counter pain relief products marketed for topical use before, during or after certain cosmetic procedures. The warning came after the agency issued warning letters to six companies for marketing these products... Read More

Biden and Harris Team Up for Health Care Event in North Carolina

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will promote their health care agenda on Tuesday in... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris will promote their health care agenda on Tuesday in North Carolina, a battleground state that Democrats hope to flip in their favor after falling short to Donald Trump in the last two presidential elections. Fourteen... Read More

Supreme Court Again Confronts Issue of Abortion, This Time Over Access to Widely Used Medication

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will again wade into the fractious issue of abortion this week when it hears... Read More

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Supreme Court will again wade into the fractious issue of abortion this week when it hears arguments over a medication used in the most common way to end a pregnancy, a case with profound implications for millions of women no matter where they... Read More

Energy Agency Announces $6B to Slash Emissions in Industrial Facilities

The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector —... Read More

The Biden administration announced $6 billion in funding Monday for projects that will slash emissions from the industrial sector — the largest-ever U.S. investment to decarbonize domestic industry to fight climate change. The industrial sector is responsible for roughly 25% of all the nation’s emissions, and has... Read More

March 25, 2024
by Jesse Zucker
What Happens During Burnout and How to Cope

WASHINGTON — Many of us, from time to time, may feel a little “burned out.” Spreading ourselves too thin with... Read More

WASHINGTON — Many of us, from time to time, may feel a little “burned out.” Spreading ourselves too thin with work, family, relationships, health and other obligations can take its toll. The term burnout is technically a psychological condition related to the workplace. Since COVID-19 began,... Read More

News From The Well
scroll top