doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) (08/15/85)
> >We of European ancestry tend to forget that the majority of the world's > >adults become violently ill if they drink milk. > > That's funny, I drink milk often and enjoy it. Meanwhile I have three > roundeye friends who have lactose intolerance. I know these data points > are unimportant statistically but I find them interesting nevertheless. In looking up the statistics on lactase deficiency/lactose intolerance, I found I erred in claiming "majority...violently ill". A more correct statement would be "the majority of the world's adults get diarrhea and gas if they drink milk, with the the more serious cases experiencing severe stomach pain." So much for my infallible memory... The Merck Manual indicates that the prevalence of lactose intolerance is not known precisely, but provides estimates for some ancestries: Orientals -- 90% American blacks -- 75% American Indians -- 75% Mediterranean -- High incidence Northwest European -- <20% -- Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {seismo!noao,decvax!noao,ihnp4}!terak!doug
terry@nrcvax.UUCP (Terry Grevstad) (08/29/85)
doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) says: >We of European ancestry tend to forget that the majority of the world's >adults become violently ill if they drink milk. ... >In looking up the statistics on lactase deficiency/lactose intolerance, >I found I erred in claiming "majority...violently ill". A more correct >statement would be "the majority of the world's adults get diarrhea and >gas if they drink milk, with the the more serious cases experiencing >severe stomach pain." So much for my infallible memory... > >The Merck Manual indicates that the prevalence of lactose intolerance >is not known precisely, but provides estimates for some ancestries: > Orientals -- 90% > American blacks -- 75% > American Indians -- 75% > Mediterranean -- High incidence > Northwest European -- <20% >-- >Doug Pardee -- CalComp -- {seismo!noao,decvax!noao,ihnp4}!terak!doug I can put in my $.02 worth about American Indians and lactose intolerance. While not 100% Indian, my family is proud of the fact that we are of Comanche extraction, and I can't drink milk. Neither can 2 of my sisters, one of whom becomes very ill if she drinks milk. That's 3 out of 5 siblings--but none of us drink milk with any regularity, even the 2 who don't find milk drinking uncomfortable. (I realize this is not scientific in the least, but what do you expect for $.02!) -- \"\t\f1A\h'+1m'\f4\(mo\h'+1m'\f1the\h'+1m'\f4\(es\t\f1\c _______________________________________________________________________ Terry Grevstad Network Research Corporation {sdcsvax,hplabs}!sdcrdcf!psivax!nrcvax!terry ucbvax!calma!nrcvax!terry
djo@sdchema.UUCP (Denise O'jibway) (08/30/85)
Another $.02 about American Indians and milk. No one in my immediate family is lactose intolerant. We are of O'Jibway (better known as Chippewa) extraction. In fact, I had never heard that indians tended to be lactose intolerant until I read the recently posted article. Alchoholism does run in the family though. You know what they say about indians and firewater...