Milk has become a main source for humans to get many of the essential nutrients in their diets. It provides protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fats, and many vitamins and minerals (such as Biotin, Iodine, Potassium, Magnesium, Selenium, Thiamine, Vitamin A, Vitamin B, Riboflavin, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K). Recently, there has been a huge debate whether or not milk is a natural food source for humans. This is partially based on the fact that humans are the only mammals to consume breast milk from a different species other than their own. I learned this fact while I was taking the Microbiology course with Annie Prud'homme Genereux. I also learned, while reading Eating Well, Living Well, that only 50% of all humans are lactose-tolerant. That means that 1 in every 2 humans do not have the enzyme that allows the body to digest milk. I, being a vegetarian, have used milk products in the past as an easy way to fulfill my protein requirements but I have recently been trying to use other food sources because of this fact. I thought that maybe if animal milk wasn't a natural source of nutrients for humans than that must mean that we naturally don't need it and we must be able to get the same nutrients from other food sources. But before going dairy-free, I thought I might do a little research on the topic before I made the decision.
In the book, Eating Well, Living Well by Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, I came across a section that talked all about the milk debate. It said that humans naturally loose the ability to digest milk when they reach adulthood because the enzyme that breaks down lactose (the natural sugar is milk) disintegrates. The only reason that 50% of people can still consume lactose is because of the cattle farmers about 9,000 years ago. During the time when food was a challenge to find, the cattle farmers resorted to the milk of their goats, sheep, and cows. At first this was difficult because they did not have the enzyme that let them break down the lactose molecules. Instead, the lactose would be fermented by the bacteria in their intestines and cause bloating and irritation to their stomachs. Sometimes, it would even cause diarrhea and dehydration. These are the same symptoms people that are lactose-intolerant experience today. However, after consuming it many times, a gene mutated in their DNA that prevented the enzyme that breaks down lactose to not be lost when they got older. Therefore, everyone that can tolerate lactose today is a descendant of these cattle farmers.
What is really interesting is that these cattle farmers mostly lived in northern Europe. Because Europeans migrated West to the Americas, most people in Northern Europe and in North America have that gene mutation and are lactose-tolerant. Since very little migrated East, only about 1% of people in China and 5% of western Africa can tolerate lactose. This is the reason you'll find that Asian food and certain typed of African food contain little to no dairy.
One thing that it also mentions is that a different gene mutation happened in Eastern African countries such as Tansania, Kenya, and Sudan which allowed humans living there to digest lactose as well. This is somewhat of a phenomenon because this gene mutation happened around the same time as the other gene mutation in Northern Europe but differed in the specific gene that was altered. It is thought that the gene mutation in Eastern Africa first happened in pastoral populations in other parts of Europe but spread east to Eastern Africa.
But does this mean that it is unnatural for humans to drink milk from other mammals? Looking at it from the evolutionary stand point, it is natural for humans to drink it. With evolution, the species that can adapt to the changing environment will survive the longest. Therefore, some genes in species are altered to help the species live longer. Species that no gene mutations take place, simply go extinct. Therefore, the mutation in the gene that allows humans to digest lactose must have been an evolutionary change to help humans survive for a longer period of time.
In the book, Eating Well, Living Well by Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, I came across a section that talked all about the milk debate. It said that humans naturally loose the ability to digest milk when they reach adulthood because the enzyme that breaks down lactose (the natural sugar is milk) disintegrates. The only reason that 50% of people can still consume lactose is because of the cattle farmers about 9,000 years ago. During the time when food was a challenge to find, the cattle farmers resorted to the milk of their goats, sheep, and cows. At first this was difficult because they did not have the enzyme that let them break down the lactose molecules. Instead, the lactose would be fermented by the bacteria in their intestines and cause bloating and irritation to their stomachs. Sometimes, it would even cause diarrhea and dehydration. These are the same symptoms people that are lactose-intolerant experience today. However, after consuming it many times, a gene mutated in their DNA that prevented the enzyme that breaks down lactose to not be lost when they got older. Therefore, everyone that can tolerate lactose today is a descendant of these cattle farmers.
What is really interesting is that these cattle farmers mostly lived in northern Europe. Because Europeans migrated West to the Americas, most people in Northern Europe and in North America have that gene mutation and are lactose-tolerant. Since very little migrated East, only about 1% of people in China and 5% of western Africa can tolerate lactose. This is the reason you'll find that Asian food and certain typed of African food contain little to no dairy.
One thing that it also mentions is that a different gene mutation happened in Eastern African countries such as Tansania, Kenya, and Sudan which allowed humans living there to digest lactose as well. This is somewhat of a phenomenon because this gene mutation happened around the same time as the other gene mutation in Northern Europe but differed in the specific gene that was altered. It is thought that the gene mutation in Eastern Africa first happened in pastoral populations in other parts of Europe but spread east to Eastern Africa.
But does this mean that it is unnatural for humans to drink milk from other mammals? Looking at it from the evolutionary stand point, it is natural for humans to drink it. With evolution, the species that can adapt to the changing environment will survive the longest. Therefore, some genes in species are altered to help the species live longer. Species that no gene mutations take place, simply go extinct. Therefore, the mutation in the gene that allows humans to digest lactose must have been an evolutionary change to help humans survive for a longer period of time.
However, it can also be looked at from a naturalist view. If humans were never intended to digest lactose after reaching adulthood, then it is unnatural for humans to consume it now. Another way of seeing it as unnatural is that humans forced it on themselves to have their bodies adjust to the lactose. And if no other mammal drinks milk from different species than their own, than humans should be no exception.
So I'll leave it up to you to decide whether consuming animal is natural or unnatural for humans. For me, I believe that it is natural for humans to consume lactose. Maybe it was not natural for the cattle farmers hundreds of years ago and the mutation didn't happen naturally because humans forced it on themselves, but today our bodies naturally produce the enzyme to tolerate it thus making it natural for humans today to consume it.
Despite my opinion on the topic, I am going to challenge myself to consume less dairy. This has nothing to do with the debate, but because it sounds like fun challenge to try and find the nutrients from other food sources. Since I love soy products so much, I don't think it will be that hard. Maybe I'll go vegan. hahaha just kidding. I could never give up chocolate! I'll let you know how it goes. hahaha.
Feel free to tell me your thoughts on the debate. Do you think it is natural for humans to consume milk?
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