Berkeley CSUA MOTD:Entry 35212
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2025/07/08 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/8     

2004/12/8-9 [Recreation/Food] UID:35212 Activity:high
12/8    How come human adults can digest cow's milk but not human breast milk?
        Why has our digestive system evolved into like this?  Is there any
        evolutional advantage?
        \_ You have two flawed assumptions in one sentence.
        \_ Yes, human adults, as long as they aren't lactose intolerant,
           can digest human breast milk. What makes you think otherwise?
           Of course, it isn't something you'll likely experience unless
           you became pregnant or your significant other does...
           \_ That's what the nurse at the children hospital told me.  She said
              my baby will get diarrhea if I feed him cow's milk, while I'll
              get diarrhea if I drink his formula.
              \_ She's trying to trick you.  You remember the apple and
                 the garden of eden, right?  Drink the milk, just do it.
              \_ This is different than what you said.  You asked only about
                 adults and breast milk.  Now you're talking about adults and
                 formula, and infants and cow milk.
              \_ Word of advice.  Stay with breastmilk as long as you can,
                 then with formula as long as you can, before switching to
                 things like cow's milk and solid food.
        \_ Being able to digest milk obviously has an evolutionary advantage
           if you have access to milk from livestock etc., under circumstances
           of general food shortage. They're turning grass into an edible food.
           It's kind of a mutant ability. Other animals generally can't do it.
           \_ Any mammal can lactate.  It's no "mutant ability".
                \_ He said being able to digest milk [as an adult] is a
                   mutant ability, not lactating.  And fully half of all
                   mammals cannot lactate.  The male ones.
                                            \_ bzzt.
                   \_ The ability in closest proximity is "turning grass into
                      an edible food".
                      \_ ok well I meant the digestion, that's what this thread
                          is about. -ppp
                   \_ Cats can digest milk. I am sure other animals can, too.
                      Mice seem to like cheese.
                      \_ I hope you don't own a cat.  In spite of the fact that
                         some cats _like_ to drink milk, cats are lactose
                         intolerant, and will get sick from cow's milk.  Go
                         to a pet-store. They have specialized cat-sensitive
                         milk you can buy, that's lactose free and processed
                         to be digestible.
                         \_ Cats are about as indestructible as it gets.  Just
                            water down the milk about 50% and they'll be fine.
                            If you give them regular milk, they tend to get
                            the trots.  -John
                         \_ No pun intended, but our cats are not pussies.
                            They drink small amounts of milk all the time
                            and it's fine.
                            \_ How do you know? Maybe they are getting
                               sick. Diarrhea or whatever cats get.
                            \_ your cats may be mutated. most cats are
                               lactose-intolerant.  http://csua.org/u/a8u
                               \_ This link says that your cat may or may
                                  not be. That's just like people.
        \_ It doesn't have to do with cow milk or human milk. Babies have
           a certain enzyme (lactase) that can break down the carbohydrates
           in milk, and they gradually lose it as they get older. "Technically",
           all adults should not be able to metabolize lactose, but people
           typically tend to retain some lactase in their system.
        \_ Can lactose tolerance be developed?
           \_ Probably.  You can also develop tolerance for anthrax.
             \_ what about iocane powder. can you really develop tolerance to
                that?
                \_ It is odorless, tasteless, dissolves instantly in liquid,
                   and is among the deadlier poisons known to man.
                   \_ Never go in against a Sicilian when death is on the line
                      \-Hello there are some mistakes and some semi-accurate
                        things above. A fair representation of the big picture
                        with some dicta thrown in is available at:
                        ~psb/MOTD/OnMilkDigestion
                        \_ Inconceivable!
                        \_ From my experience, more than 70% of people I
                           know (from Taiwan, Singapore, China, etc.) from
                           east asia don't have problem with milk, which
                           seems to contradict the <30% lactose tolerance
                           figure given.
                           \- this is why genetic surveys dont happen via
                              anonymous motd polls. see second table:
                              http://lactoseintolerant.org/02_about.html
                              are you saying the drink milk or they consume
                              dairy products. not the same thing. or maybe
                              you just hang out with a lot of 2 yrs olds.--psb
                              \_ when I was going to primary school in
                                 Singapore, they would have milk programs
                                 and give all the kids milk to drink every
                                 morning.  Why would they do that if all
                                 those kids are lactose intolerant?
                                 \- did you miss the part about lactase
                                 production is gradually shut down?
                                    \- did you miss the part where it
                                        says 93% of asian children in
                                        australia are lactase deficient?
                                        also if you look at the figures,
                                        the "shutdown" affects just a
                                        small percentage of the population
                                        (9% to 19% among australian
                                        caucasians).  My observation
                                        of most of my east asian acquaintances
                                        drinking milk without problem
                                        includes both children and adults.
                                        \- maybe your friends in sigapore
                                        were "colonized" by sir stamford
                                        raffles and his friends. --psb
                                           \_ hmm ... but the same is true
                                           for my friends from taiwan,
                                           or china.  besides, when
                                           singapore was under the brits,
                                           most of the chinese
                                           in singapore were poor coolies,
                                           so incidences of fraternizing
                                           with the brits were very low,
                                           unlike say in British India.
2025/07/08 [General] UID:1000 Activity:popular
7/8     

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csua.org/u/a8u -> www.thepetprofessor.com/secArticles/cat/Cats_and_milk.asp
Should Cats drink Milk Should Cats drink Milk We see cats drinking milk in commercials, old tv shows and the like. But the fact of the matter is that most cats are lactose intolerant. Milk also has very little to no nutritional value for cats. The fact of the matter is that a cat fed only on milk will die of malnutrition. However most cats LOVE the ta ste of milk, so what do you do? As a staple cats should always have fresh, cool water available to them. As long as your cat isn't lactose intolerant, milk is not bad for cats i f it is given as an occasional treat (think of it as kitty junk food). If your cat does l ike milk then determine is he or she is lactose intolerant. If your cat is lactose intolerant then he/she will have a little diarrhea and a litt le stomach problems for a few days after drinking the milk. In this case you will definitely want to give your kitty a milk substitute created f or cats. Such a substitute is created to have some nutritional value for cats while not upsetting their stomachs as real milk can. A good substi tute is Cat's Sip, it can be found in your local pet store or grocery st ore. Many veterinarians suggest that if your cat does like milk and even if he/she isn't lactose intolerant that you should get him/her used to a milk substitute anyhow as it is better for the cat. Medical and care advice on this article is for your knowledge and informa tion only. It is not a substitute for a veterinary appointment or an act ual diagnosis for your pet. If you feel your pet has a health or behavio r problem please consult your veterinarian immediately for specific advi ce tailored to your individual pet.
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lactoseintolerant.org/02_about.html
The amount of lactase in the digestive system decreases as one get s older; you may have been able to digest milk as a child but now experi ence cramps, bloating, canker sores, yeast infections, diarrhea and gas when you consume milk. Lactose is the ingredient in foods which affects the lactose intolerant n egatively. Copyright 1992 by Houghton Mifflin C ompany, all rights reserved) defines lactose as: lactose (lak'tos) noun 1 A disaccharide, C12 H22 O11, found in milk, that may be hydrolyzed to yield glucose and galactose. But the disorder itself is not inherit ed, just the tendency. For example, if your mother is lactose intolerant , and your father isn't, you may or may not be able to digest dairy prod ucts. Also, if your great-great aunt is lactose intolerant, and no one e lse in your family is, you still may have inherited the tendency. It may be passed from generation to generation without affecting anyone but yo u You are such a lucky person! Besides, only songs or phrases are "catchy," as one adept site visitor no ticed (thank you). Because of this genetic link, certain geographical and racial communities are more prone to lactose intolerance. An Australian couple looked into lactose intolerance when their daughter was diagnosed with milk allergy and posted their findings on the web. Milk Allergy support group, based in Adelaide AUSTRAL IA) Lactose intolerance is found in both children and adults. The following t able is from Sanitarium and gives some idea as to who is affected in Aus tralia. Incidence of Lactase Deficiency Population Percentage Children Australian Caucasian Australian Aboriginal Asians in Australia Greeks in Australia Mediterranean's in Australia 9% 84% 93% 56% 41% Adults 19-61 years Caucasian Australian Aboriginal Asians in Australia SE Asians in Australia Chinese in Australia Australian born Chinese 19% 84% 95% 95% 90% 80% Here's another table, compiled by Kent DeLong, MD regarding ethnicity a nd lactose intolerance, and reaffirming the ethnic/intolerant assumption s of the previous information. The prevalence of lactose intolerance in adults of certain ethnic groups Ethnic Group Percent Intolerant African Blacks 95% Indians 90% Asians 90% North American Blacks 75% Mexican Americans 75% Mediterraneans 60% North American Whites 15% So, obviously, caucasians are the least affected by this disorder. So, if you are caucasian and the only member of your family who is lactose int olerant, you are twice as lucky!