| 5-03-2007 08:52:33 PM
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Trinity
From: United Kingdom |
National geographic report interesting findings regarding mass dairy intollerance thousands of years ago. Given that mammals natural lose their ability to digest milk after they are weaned, perhaps and eloquent reminder that 'Mother Nature knows best'? Read more...
Trinity Milk wasn't on the Stone Age menu, says a new study which suggests the vast majority of adult Europeans were lactose intolerant as recently as 7,000 years ago. While cow's milk is a mainstay in the diet of modern-day Europeans, their ancestors weren't able to digest the nutritious dairy product after childhood, according to DNA analysis of human skeletons from the Neolithic period. The study was led by Joachim Burger of the Institute of Archaeology at Mainz University in Germany. The findings supports the idea that milk drinkers became widespread in Europe only after dairy farming had become established there—not the other way around. Most mammals lose their ability to digest milk after being weaned, but some humans can continue to benefit from the calcium-rich, high-energy liquid. This is because they carry a mutation that lets them continue producing lactase, the gut enzyme needed to break down the milk sugar lactose, in adulthood. Lactose tolerance is most common in people of European origin, especially those from the northern and central areas of the continent. It is relatively rare in Asian and Native American populations. Lactose Tolerance High levels of lactose tolerance among these European groups are thought to reflect an evolutionary advantage. Early farming communities that could digest milk could consume the liquid during otherwise poor harvests, for instance. Some scientists argue this adaptation was previously very rare in humans, spreading only after the introduction of farming to Europe. Others say prehistoric populations were already split between those who could and couldn't drink milk as adults. This split, the researchers say, determined which groups became dairy farmers. Burger's team analysed the DNA of well-preserved Stone Age skeletons from locations in northern and central Europe. Bones dated to between 5800 and 5200 B.C. were tested for a genetic marker associated with the production of lactase. The team says it found no trace of the lactase gene, indicating that people from the period weren't yet able to drink milk. The findings are reported today in the online early edition of the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. Natural Selection The study suggests that the lactase gene spread rapidly in the human population only after dairy livestock were introduced to Europe about 8,000 years ago, Burger says. (Related: "Goats Key to Spread of Farming, Gene Study Suggests" [October 10, 2006].) "I think it's a very old mutation that was completely useless before farming started," he said. But then the gene suddenly became useful, and its presence in the population quickly grew through natural selection, Burger said. "People who had cows, goats, or sheep and were lactose resistant had more children, and those children survived infant mortality and years of poor harvests," he said. The legacy of this evolutionary process is very apparent in the DNA of northern and central Europeans today, Burger notes. In parts of Sweden, he says, 100 percent of people carry the lactase gene, whereas the average figure for the whole country is about 90 percent. In Scandinavia, Holland, Britain, and Ireland, he added, "you can say most of the people are the descendents of dairy farmers." Milk tolerance also exists in southern and eastern European populations, while certain prehistoric farming communities in North Africa and the Middle East also developed the trait, scientists say. But in other populations the lactase gene is largely absent. "All over the world most people can't drink milk when they're adults," Burger said. "It's only some populations in northern Africa and Europeans that can." James Owen
original article link Quote |
| 6-03-2007 03:42:10 PM
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Jon
From: New Zealand |
What an interesting article Trinity, thank you.It makes you wonder then, if past. and homog. milk is really good for us (I know, thats a bit sarcastic). I do find it interesting, as I know in most asian countries, the people do not have the necessary enzime to digest cows milk and in fact, milk can cause them all sorts of problems. Quote |
| 7-03-2007 04:07:44 PM
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Natalie
From: United Kingdom |
This reminds me of something my Mum used to tell me when I was little (I was lactose intolerant as a child): Humans are the only species that tries to drink the milk from another species. It's not done anywhere else in the animal world, which is why our systems can find it hard to tolerate. Or words to that effect. I was very young at the time...  Sorry, back to the conversation. That just reminded me, so thought I'd share it. Nat  Quote |
| 17-01-2008 11:22:30 PM
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Jocelyn
From: United Kingdom |
I've recently had a real problem with cows milk, I suppose if you look at it logically, cows milk was designed to feed calves, not humans, and I am an adult as well. After years of 'normal milk in my diet', I had a bout of bronchitus, my breathing was really scary, I was sent for a chest X-ray, and put on anti-biotics, and then I went completely deaf in 1 ear. I had a flight to the US planned, the Dr said I risked a burst eardrum, but waiting at Heathrow, a friend did a kineseology test on me and told me I was allergic to dairy, gave me a list of what I couldn't eat/drink, and keeping strictly to what she said, after 2 weeks my hearing came back, that was early 2003. Since then I stay with goats milk/cheese or soya, no more problems,if I have cows milk in anything, I sneeze a lot, get catarrah(like I used to for years) and then start to wheeze, its awful. I am not sure if its lactose, or whey, but I have been told that the fat molecules in cows milk are much larger than in goats milk which makes it harder to digest, Any one got any comments on all this ?? Quote |
| 18-01-2008 06:04:24 AM
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Jon
From: New Zealand |
Jocelyn wrote: I've recently had a real problem with cows milk, I suppose if you look at it logically, cows milk was designed to feed calves, not humans, and I am an adult as well. After years of 'normal milk in my diet', I had a bout of bronchitus, my breathing was really scary, I was sent for a chest X-ray, and put on anti-biotics, and then I went completely deaf in 1 ear. I had a flight to the US planned, the Dr said I risked a burst eardrum, but waiting at Heathrow, a friend did a kineseology test on me and told me I was allergic to dairy, gave me a list of what I couldn't eat/drink, and keeping strictly to what she said, after 2 weeks my hearing came back, that was early 2003. Since then I stay with goats milk/cheese or soya, no more problems,if I have cows milk in anything, I sneeze a lot, get catarrah(like I used to for years) and then start to wheeze, its awful. I am not sure if its lactose, or whey, but I have been told that the fat molecules in cows milk are much larger than in goats milk which makes it harder to digest, Any one got any comments on all this ??
My point is any animal milk you drink needs to be 'whole', that is, not treated in any way.
BTW, the fat in cows milk, when hommog. is so small it filters into the blood stream, unhommog. milk goes straight into the digestive system and helps make hormones, in other words, it is good for you.Quote |
| 18-01-2008 01:17:02 PM
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Jocelyn
From: United Kingdom |
Hi, the info on milk you write about is very interesting but it still doesn't explain why, after 50+ years I now react so badly to it, and yes I do know that goats milk is for goats ...but I don't have the horrible side effects, my breathing is normal, etc. I take a range of US supplements which include calcium/magnesium etc, cos at my age 67 I don't want osteo parosis. I begin to think modern dairy farming/routine dosing of cows with anti-biotics may have something to do with this. I have been told that fermented soya is OK, well where is this available and under what name?, and a lot of soya is labelled GM free. Another side to this is that many children with eczma start improving once they come off cows milk. Quote |
| 19-01-2008 01:57:58 AM
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Jon
From: New Zealand |
Jocelyn wrote: Hi, the info on milk you write about is very interesting but it still doesn't explain why, after 50+ years I now react so badly to it, and yes I do know that goats milk is for goats ...but I don't have the horrible side effects, my breathing is normal, etc. I take a range of US supplements which include calcium/magnesium etc, cos at my age 67 I don't want osteo parosis. I begin to think modern dairy farming/routine dosing of cows with anti-biotics may have something to do with this. I have been told that fermented soya is OK, well where is this available and under what name?, and a lot of soya is labelled GM free. Another side to this is that many children with eczma start improving once they come off cows milk. I agree that many people cannot take cows milk, even whole, and also, I believe that goats milk is the generic milk. The main point about milk is that its organic and whole, that willruduce most peoples reactions to the other stuff called milk. Soy on the other hand is a different kettle of fish. Fermented soy is good for you, but I would suggest staying away from ALL other soy. Even soy labeled GM free, is not necessarily correct. Labelling laws differ from country to country, but in the US, GM frre means no more than a small amount of GM, can't remember exactly, but I think its about 5%. I believe even non GM soy has no real benifit and in fact, I believe is detrimental to health. Quote |
| 20-01-2008 10:56:23 AM
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Ann
From: United Kingdom |
If you introduce soya into you diet now, Jocelyn, you will probably find your bronchitis and other problems come back, since it is so mucus-forming and allergenic. http://www.allergicchild.com/soy_allergies.htm (also - soyonlineservice.co.nz)
Personally I would keep soya as far away as possible from my life, fermented, GM-free or anything else. (It has 8 different names). I would stick with your goats milk if you have to have milk. Also, check on you calcium status, because older women who take calcium supplements double their risk of heart attack. Calcium dumping in the body will lodge in the joints and actually give you arthritis, rather than prevent it. It depends entirely on how much calcium is in your body. In my experience, results come back with calcium levels completely off the page, because it is too high. Ann x Last edited: 20-01-2008 10:57:52 AM
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| 21-01-2008 06:15:49 AM
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Jon
From: New Zealand |
Also, check on you calcium status, because older women who take calcium supplements double their risk of heart attack. Calcium dumping in the body will lodge in the joints and actually give you arthritis, rather than prevent it. It depends entirely on how much calcium is in your body. In my experience, results come back with calcium levels completely off the page, because it is too high. Ann, where did you get this info, I have been saying this for years, but could not find a reference. Quote |
| 21-01-2008 09:09:48 AM
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Ann
From: United Kingdom |
Hi Jon, It is a very good article written on the 16th Jan in The Times newspaper. Let me know if you want me to send it to you, as I have pdf'd it. Somewhere also, I have something called, 'Osteoporosis and The Calcium Myth' which I photocopied years ago from an Australian journal. But that would take some digging up! x Quote |
| 22-01-2008 05:54:19 AM
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Jon
From: New Zealand |
Ann wrote: Hi Jon, It is a very good article written on the 16th Jan in The Times newspaper. Let me know if you want me to send it to you, as I have pdf'd it. Somewhere also, I have something called, 'Osteoporosis and The Calcium Myth' which I photocopied years ago from an Australian journal. But that would take some digging up! x Hi Ann, I have the article on Osteo and Calcium, but would love the article from the Times. Could you send it, please? Quote |
| 22-01-2008 01:12:14 PM
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Jayne
Moderator
From: United Kingdom |
Just glanced through this quickly so sorry if its been mentioned but I think there are more intolerances to dairy since they now pasturise milk as the process destroys the enzymes which help to digest it as we don't have the right conditions naturally in the stomach to digest it properly.
Also milk is less fatty than it uesd to be and this is where the enzymes are.
We can still get raw milk in Yorkshire but its illegal in Scotland! I do take it on board though that we were not meant to have it as humans - but I just have it in small amounts and won't be changing over to Soya any time soon!!! Jayne ) Quote |
| 4-02-2008 06:19:43 PM
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Jocelyn
From: United Kingdom |
Jayne wrote: Just glanced through this quickly so sorry if its been mentioned but I think there are more intolerances to dairy since they now pasturise milk as the process destroys the enzymes which help to digest it as we don't have the right conditions naturally in the stomach to digest it properly. Also milk is less fatty than it uesd to be and this is where the enzymes are. We can still get raw milk in Yorkshire but its illegal in Scotland! I do take it on board though that we were not meant to have it as humans - but I just have it in small amounts and won't be changing over to Soya any time soon!!! Jayne ) Quote |
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