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.