Know someone Lactose intolerant? A new study shows that sixty percent of adults around the world cannot digest milk. The International Society for Computational Biology recently published a paper in their monthly journal which brings to light the ability of stomachs to digest milk or not.
The digestion of milk is linked to the enzyme lactase, which is produced by the stomach in order to digest lactose -- the principle sugar in milk. Adults with European ancestry comprise the largest group of people to be able to digest milk due to a genetic variation not commonly found among other peoples of the world.
This genetic variation originated as recently as 10,000 years ago and is believed to have become widespread in Europe as early as 7,500 years ago when man first started dairying cows for their milk as a food source. The paper confirmed that lactase persistence among Europeans did not come as a nutritional need to supplement Vitamin D. The authors of this study included Yuval Itan, Adam Powell, Mark A. Beaumont, Joachim Burger and Mark G. Thomas.
This comes as a glimpse as to why the U.S. is the world's largest producer and consumer of dairy products, followed closely by the members of the European Union.
Information found at USAToday.com -
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/science/2009-08-30-lactose-intolerance_N.htm
