Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site terak.UUCP Path: utzoo!decvax!genrad!panda!talcott!harvard!seismo!hao!noao!terak!doug From: doug@terak.UUCP (Doug Pardee) Newsgroups: net.med Subject: Re: Drinking milk Message-ID: <676@terak.UUCP> Date: Thu, 15-Aug-85 12:38:28 EDT Article-I.D.: terak.676 Posted: Thu Aug 15 12:38:28 1985 Date-Received: Sun, 18-Aug-85 19:44:02 EDT References: <1832@aecom.UUCP> <667@terak.UUCP> <2569@amdcad.UUCP> Distribution: na Organization: Calcomp Display Products Division, Scottsdale, AZ, USA Lines: 22 > >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