The New York Times is reporting [archive link] on a new study charting historical human milk use and the mutations that allow (some) adult humans to digest lactose.
The study [abstract], published on 27 July 2022 in the journal Nature utilizes archaeological and genetic evidence to characterize milk use among (pre-)historic humans. From the NYT article:
In many ways, humans are weird mammals. And our relationship with milk is especially weird.
In every mammalian species, females produce milk to feed their young. The nursing babies digest the milk with the help of an enzyme called lactase, which cuts milk sugar into easily absorbed fragments. When the young mammals are weaned, they stop making lactase. After all, why waste energy making an enzyme you no longer need?
But it is common for our species to keep consuming milk into adulthood. What's more, about one-third of people carry genetic mutations that allow them to produce lactase throughout their lives, making it easier to digest milk.[...]
But a new study of ancient human DNA and milk-drenched pottery shards suggests that the traditional story does not hold up. "Something was not quite right with the received wisdom," said Richard Evershed, a biogeochemist at the University of Bristol in England, and an author of the study.
Dr. Evershed and his colleagues found that Europeans were consuming milk without lactase for thousands of years, despite the misery from gas and cramping it might have caused. The scientists argue that the lactase mutation only became important to survival when Europeans began enduring epidemics and famines: During those periods, their poor health would have exacerbated gastric distress, leading to life-threatening diarrhea.
I, for one, welcome our (not so) new dairy overlords. MMMM...dairy!
Journal Reference:
Evershed, R.P., Davey Smith, G., Roffet-Salque, M. et al. Dairying, diseases and the evolution of lactase persistence in Europe. Nature (2022). DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05010-7
(Score: 2) by NotSanguine on Friday July 29 2022, @12:06AM (17 children)
I found the results interesting, but I thought the methodology (pairing genetic analysis of modern-day humans with archeological research to discern the relation (or not) between widespread dairy usage and adult lactase production mutations) was fascinating.
I'm not lactose intolerant (presumably, I have the relevant mutation(s)), so I can't really speak to the symptoms suffered by those without that mutation(s).
I wonder how bad such symptoms might be?
No, no, you're not thinking; you're just being logical. --Niels Bohr
(Score: 2) by Mykl on Friday July 29 2022, @12:44AM (6 children)
Further, the symptoms of lactose intolerance are all negative and no positive (no buzz like alcohol or similar). In non-famine scenarios, why would one want to continue to drink something that always makes one feel sick? Maybe some religious angle?
Maybe our assumptions about the pottery shards are wrong. Were those pots for gathering milk to assist with animal husbandry instead? I can believe that someone who somehow inherits an ability to drink milk would have an advantage, but struggle to understand why everyone else would put themselves through daily gastric distress for no benefit.
(Score: 3, Funny) by sjames on Friday July 29 2022, @12:48AM (1 child)
Clearly it started with prehistoric 3rd grade boys drinking milk to make them fart a lot because it's funny.
(Score: 3, Funny) by c0lo on Friday July 29 2022, @01:18AM
Ah, the famous milk-pods dare, yeah.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 4, Insightful) by krishnoid on Friday July 29 2022, @02:01AM
If raising meat for livestock is too expensive, I'm guessing dairy and eggs are the densest protein sources you can have along with your veggies and grains, so you have something that will stick to your ribs throughout the day, while you're working in the fields. Plus it's useful for making other stuff -- butter in sauces, baking, etc. And making things your otherwise fussy kids will eat, to make sure they put on mass.
(Score: 3, Interesting) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @02:25AM (1 child)
Or maybe they had another lactase gene that has not been identified, but has since been lost. (Or, wild stretch, mutated into the current form. Or was previously on a different chromosome. Or... )
Or maybe the milk was in those pottery containers for cheesemaking (cheese often being well-tolerated by the lactose-intolerant).
Or maybe they fermented it, same lactose reduction as cheesemaking.
Or maybe we're making wrong assumptions entirely.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2022, @03:10AM
Considering how quickly the reaction to eating dairy often is in those that are intolerant, it seems rather arrogant to assume that it didn't occur to anybody during all that time that it was a problem, if it was indeed a problem. This isn't something where you eat some dairy today and have issues next week. Lactose intolerance usually results in issues quickly.
Just because these were ancient people, does not mean they were stupid, they just had less technological advancement as it hadn't yet been invented.
(Score: 2, Informative) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 29 2022, @04:24PM
You're not necessarily going to notice. I'd be surprised if they were having significant issues. Mongolians are also "lactose intolerant" but the local diet has a ton of dairy. The reason being that if you've got sufficient bacteria that can digest lactose, then genetics aren't an issue. And that can happen extremely quickly as in within weeks out even days.
(Score: 5, Interesting) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @01:30AM (9 children)
Zits. I'm not lactose intolerant and not aware of any other problems with / from milk. I drank a lot as a kid and teenager. I didn't have a bad acne problem, but some now and then. I just didn't bother buying it when I went away to college, around age 25 (started at local classes previously).
Well, it went away, and I didn't really give it any thought other than I just outgrew it. So one day I decided to buy some milk and cereal, and whammo- significant acne. Some "milky" cheeses will cause it- softer ones like mozzarella, etc.
Fast forward many years: for some reason a few years ago I decided to try lactose-free milk. First impression: date code on normal milk is good for maybe 2 weeks. Lactose free milk: 3 months! Second impression: it tastes way way better. Third impression: it doesn't stink. Forth impression: no zits!
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @02:32AM (8 children)
Interesting "symptom". Yeah, seems there's not just one variety of lactose intolerance. Being able to process lactose doesn't mean you necessarily can process all the downstream byproducts. Further, being lactose-intolerant doesn't mean you can't have some other gene that deals with =those= byproducts.
Also, some people don't become lactose-intolerant until they've gone without milk for some time, then find they can't drink it anymore. I'd guess any people dependent on milk would never run into that problem, because it would always be part of their diet. Remember, we all start off drinking milk.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @02:41AM (7 children)
> Remember, we all start off drinking milk.
Yeah, but mom's milk. I'm sure you've heard all the various talking about this and that not being good for you. I've heard many people say "cow's milk is for cows, not humans". Like most discussions, I think there's too much "one size fits all" happening. For some, cow's milk is bad. Heck, for some, a peanut would cause death. For many (most) cow's milk is mostly good.
I'm not sure that the lactose causes me zits. It may be some other enzyme that causes it, and whatever the lactose removal process is also removes that enzyme.
Remembering more: milk fat is not the cause- skim milk might be even worse for the acne problem. And warm milk- worse yet.
Again, otherwise I have no other problems with milk that the lactose-free reduces or eliminates. But it sure tastes better!! And I've been buying it protein fortified.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @03:03AM (3 children)
Turns out some people who think they're lactose intolerant actually react to one of the specific proteins. Some cows have been bred to produce a different protein, and those folks can drink that milk -- which is NOT lactose-free milk.
So yeah, complicated in all sorts of directions.
Yep, have heard all sorts of stupidity with "you can only drink your own species' milk" ... or goat milk, or whatever religious experience. You'll hear claimed dogs can't digest cow's milk. Care to guess what's the best replacement formula for very young puppies? Canned evaporated cow's milk, hands down. (Professional expertise here.)
Generally speaking with today's "sterilized" milk, the more skim the milk the faster it degrades (or so is my experience)... so I'm wondering if your real intolerance is to a breakdown product, perhaps from lactic-acid bacteria. Also wondering if different processing might make a difference. (Old style Pasteurization, for instance.)
But glad you found a solution that works.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @03:40AM (2 children)
All very interesting, thank you.
Any and all theories are valid. Not sure at all what would cause acne though. Seems like the skin is many biological processes away from stomach, etc. Many people swear that chocolate causes acne. Not for me, thankfully!
"Old style Pasteurization"? I didn't realize there were different processes.
I've been working in a beverage factory and we have a Pasteurizer. 65' long, 5' wide belt (or is it 6'?), 12 compartments.
So I'm curious to learn more about new vs. old?
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @04:07AM
There've been at least three methods for dairy that I know of. Unsure of details, but different temperature and duration. Old style, tired milk would just go sour. Second type, tired milk would never sour, but it would rot, and as it aged it smelled like dirty socks. Current method -- keeps longer, rarely sours, but eventually either rots or sets up like cheese. Half-and-half now keeps for months. Butter is not as good as it used to be because it's now mostly made from stale-dated cream. (Per the guy at the dairy who sold me "dumps" for livestock.)
Acne tends to indicate hormonal disruption/imbalance, and some are sensitive to diet, but lots of interlocking processes...
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 3, Informative) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @04:55PM
Oh, something else. Milk is not monolithic. Saw this and wondered:
https://hoards.com/article-31540-butterfat-levels-bound-skyward-in-past-decade.html [hoards.com]
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/highest-percentage-fat-milk-animal-10855.html [sfgate.com]
How much of lactose intolerance is actually a fat ratio thing? Because modern cows produce very low butterfat compared to low-volume milk producers like sheep and goats, which certainly would have been more prevalent (because earlier domesticated and much easier to manage) with these early villagers.
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 4, Insightful) by maxwell demon on Friday July 29 2022, @06:24AM (2 children)
Of course, except for your mother's milk, no food is made for you. A lot of our food is actually seeds that are made for reproduction of the plant, not for us to eat. Salad leaves are for collecting solar energy, not for us to eat. So according to that logic, we shouldn't eat anything.
The Tao of math: The numbers you can count are not the real numbers.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @03:59PM
Agreed. That's why my next line (albeit poorly worded) was: " Like most discussions, I think there's too much "one size fits all" happening."
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @04:59PM
LOL, perfect. Yep, everything that eats beyond mother's milk consumes stuff that was meant for an entirely different purpose. Grass no doubt has opinions about being munched by cows.
And consider: the sun's energy is waste disposal, not for stupid plants to collect!
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by tekk on Friday July 29 2022, @12:56AM (2 children)
If I recall correctly there are processes by which you can make milk fine for the lactose-intolerant which are pretty basic. Making butter, some kinds of cheese, iirc.
(Score: 4, Interesting) by c0lo on Friday July 29 2022, @01:21AM (1 child)
Fermenting milk (aka yoghurt and derivatives) is such a way - lactose is what those microbes eat to poop lactic acid.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoFiw2jMy-0
(Score: 0, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Friday July 29 2022, @01:37AM
If I poop out some lactic acid, can I sell it as yogurt?
(Score: 4, Interesting) by optotronic on Friday July 29 2022, @01:28AM (10 children)
I didn't read the article but I lost the ability to digest milk in college and regained it later. Now, I take a probiotic daily that includes a lactose-processing bacteria. Early humans probably had more bacteria in their guts than I do.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @01:34AM (8 children)
Your post reminds me of the general talk about some kids being overly protected, and their immune systems don't get a chance to develop, possibly (I wrote possibly- I have no idea) leading to allergies, asthma, autoimmune diseases, who knows what else.
(Score: 3, Informative) by krishnoid on Friday July 29 2022, @01:52AM (2 children)
Better hope the jealous to-be-older-sibling doesn't get ahold of this article [psychologytoday.com], or you'll have your choice between hearing complaints or barking for a few years. Moreso if you belong to one of a few ethnic groups [aafa.org].
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Saturday July 30 2022, @12:26AM (1 child)
That's very interesting, thanks. I had not heard of dogs, children, asthma, etc. connection. I grew up with dogs, sometimes we had several. Also played in mud, grass, sandbox, woods, fields, etc., and I have no asthma, allergies, whatever. I "get" poison ivy- supposedly 3/4 of people are susceptible to it, but I don't think that's part of allergic reactions.
(Score: 3, Informative) by krishnoid on Saturday July 30 2022, @12:37AM
Looking further, the "several" [jamanetwork.com] in this case, in the first year of life in particular, seems to make a difference.
(Score: 4, Informative) by mrpg on Friday July 29 2022, @02:19AM (1 child)
https://nj1015.com/are-overprotective-parents-to-blame-for-kids-with-allergies-nj-expert-says-yes/ [nj1015.com]
More and more people seem to be getting pollen, peanut and penicillin allergies. One theory suggests this may be the result of overprotective child-rearing.
As one medical expert put it, "we do not allow our kids to roll around in the dirt enough."
"In our zeal to protect against harmful infections, we have inadvertently shielded ourselves and our children from the typical exposure to a diverse array of microbial life that had characterized all prior generations," says Bill Miller, author of "The Microcosm Within: Evolution and Extinction in the Hologenome."
Allergy expert Leonard Bielory, the director of the Allergy and Asthma Research Center in Springfield, agrees that too many kids are being shielded from minor allergens and toxins.
"The early environment that we put our children into, the more sterile it is, the more likely that you will have allergies downstream," he said.
(Score: 2) by Reziac on Friday July 29 2022, @02:35AM
I recall a research article that said the common factor in peanut allergies was... lack of early exposure to peanuts.
How many other allergies happen because the immune system wasn't exposed until it was mature enough to react badly?
And there is no Alkibiades to come back and save us from ourselves.
(Score: 1, Flamebait) by PiMuNu on Friday July 29 2022, @11:38AM (2 children)
You are conflating an incorrect immune response with an issue in the small intestine.
If your tyres are faulty, no point working on the exhaust.
(Score: 2) by RS3 on Friday July 29 2022, @04:14PM (1 child)
Incorrect. _I_ didn't conflate anything. I merely parroted what many people seem to think and write about, and I doubly disclaimed it by writing: "...possibly (I wrote possibly- I have no idea)..."
Sometimes I write things to bring fallacies to light, and I try to signal that with disclaimers. It's interesting, to say the least, how people read some words intensely, and totally ignore some of the most important words, such as the disclaimers.
A good friend's mom passed away 2 years ago at age 101. She still lived in her house, by herself. She could have lived much longer but something happened that the doctors weren't sure of. She had been an RN in WWII, and held very strong knowledge and beliefs in nutrition. She grew much of what she ate, and was meticulous about what she would buy in stores. One of many things she believed in, and did, was some apple cider vinegar every day- supposed to help keep a good gut microbe balance. She had lots of other wisdom and knowledge, too bad I didn't write it all down.
(Score: 2) by PiMuNu on Monday August 01 2022, @07:52AM
Reducto ad absurdem:
> Killing innocent civilians is often frowned upon, but many say that possibly (possibly, I have no idea) it is a great use of spare bullets.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Saturday July 30 2022, @03:06AM
I had the ability to tolerate dairy until I lost it. I probably wasn't completely immune, I was having some digestive problems, but they couldn't explicitly be tied to dairy. But, a year in China with little access to dairy and a couple rounds of antibiotics and I had much more severe issues almost immediately after eating most dairy products.
I have had it go away for stretches when eating large amounts of live culture yogurt, so I concluded that I likely had been lactose intolerant for years, it just wasn't obvious. It's unclear whether it's the enzymes or the bacteria in the yogurt that have been helping minimize the reaction. Probably the enzymes as I don't think the relevant bacteria tolerate an anaerobic environment like the gut.
(Score: 3, Funny) by sgleysti on Friday July 29 2022, @01:48AM (3 children)
It's not every day you get an article with a summary that contains the phrase "life-threatening diarrhea". I'm still smiling.
(Score: 2) by krishnoid on Friday July 29 2022, @01:53AM
Now *that's* something you rarely see in medieval period works.
(Score: 2) by inertnet on Friday July 29 2022, @05:13AM (1 child)
Up until at least the late 19th century, people would feed their babies cow milk. Many babies died back then, some most likely because of lactose intolerance. So to me it's no surprise that over many generations, those tolerant genes have thrived.
(Score: 3, Informative) by RamiK on Friday July 29 2022, @07:09AM
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5726035/ [nih.gov]
compiling...
(Score: 2) by Opportunist on Friday July 29 2022, @10:37AM
Quite a few people do currently not really tolerate large quantities of alcohol but drink it anyway.