Re:Remembering When Only Barbarians Drank Milk
by toasterlovin on Monday June 04, 2018 @12:32PM
(#17229532)
> I can understand their argument though, that cows milk has not existed long enough in northern europe to have affected the population. But that doesn't mean the population wasn't already tolerant before cows came along.
FYI, human evolution has been ongoing in recent history and the gene that bestows lactose tolerance on most Northern Europeans is one of the fastest spreading adaptations that scientists who study ancient genomes have found. IIRC, that gene first showed up about 4,000 years ago.
As to why lactose tolerance is more prevalent the farther north you go, I think the generally accepted reason is that harsher winters required more dependence on pastoral animals, since they are a good way to store calories. If you can get a regular supply of calories out of them without killing them, even better.
Numbers say that it's much more prevalent where my family comes from compared to here up north. Swedes can often drink regular milk well into their adulthood while many of my peers from former yugoslavia stop drinking it in their 20s or 30s.
I recently found one study[1] claiming it has nothing to do with being a "swede" but rather that lactose tolerant peoples have migrated to northern europe. Why they've chosen to migrate there is beyond me though.
I can understand their argument though, that cows milk has not existed long enough in northern europe to have affected the population. But that doesn't mean the population wasn't already tolerant before cows came along.
Edit: Reason this article made me think of lactose intolerance is because romans were disgusted specifically by northern tribes, perhaps the northern climate does something for lactose tolerance.
I know other cultures like Bulgarians are also mentioned.
1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22643754