Display:
That's a good question about cow's milk.  A person can't be intolerant (which I understand now means "lacking the enzyme required to break it down") to all milk, since most humans survive off human milk for the first months of their lives.  Is there no lactose in breast milk?  And how did we come to be drinking cow's milk?  


"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Wed Aug 6th, 2008 at 02:00:40 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Dogs can handle cow's milk when they're puppies, but after that most just vomit it back up - Figgy will drink low-fat milk, Cleo won't touch it. If Figgy accidentially drinks full-fat he makes a mess.
by Colman (colman at eurotrib.com) on Wed Aug 6th, 2008 at 03:11:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]
My cat drinks cow's milk (skim, in tiny amounts).  Doesn't seem to be a problem.  Unless I refuse it to her.  Then there's a problem.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.
by poemless on Wed Aug 6th, 2008 at 03:24:54 PM EST
[ Parent ]
hmm, a visitor left a litre of milk in my fridge, so rather than throw it away, i poured it over my dogs' food.

one did fine, but the other was sick for a week.

lost appetite, moped around, no energy.

gave her some kidney tincture, encouraged her to drink more water, and with extra affection and massage, she came around fine, as per.

~"When an inner situation is not made conscious, it appears outside as fate." Karl Jung~

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Wed Aug 6th, 2008 at 03:35:04 PM EST
[ Parent ]
I have always been intolerant, I projectile vomited all forms of milk given to me as a baby - breast milk, formular, cows milk etc. It almost killed me.  It was only when I started on pureeed food that I was ok.

I have a genetic defect that prevents the enzyme being made, ever.  Most people make lactase that breaks down lactose when they are babies and this eases off as they grow older - hence why adults are more likely to be lactose intolerant.  As pointed out elsewhere, we aren't 'supposed' to have milk in our diets once weaned off breastfeeding therefore no need to keep making the enzyme.

How did we come to be eating or drinking anything that we do?!

Ad astra per aspera

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Wed Aug 6th, 2008 at 04:44:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]
Lactose tolerance in adults is a rather recent genetic mutation. Evolution in action !

My guess is that some herdsmen discovered they could give raw milk without making cheese out of it to toddlers, and stopped giving it as the kids developed intolerance - until at a point the kids didn't develop intolerance, and gained an evolutionary advantage.

Un roi sans divertissement est un homme plein de misères

by linca (antonin POINT lucas AROBASE gmail.com) on Thu Aug 7th, 2008 at 04:12:46 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Evolution in action !

Funnier yet: most probably co-evolution.

So, in societies where milk was really the only thing available during some periods, being lactose intolerant was strongly selected against (like: you might die).

by t-------------- on Thu Aug 7th, 2008 at 11:56:19 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Display:
Login
. Make a new account
. Reset password
Occasional Series