For most Asians, lactose intolerance (an ingredient found in milk) is an extremely common condition.
After enjoying milk or dairy products, many individuals experience symptoms such as bloating, abdominal pain, or diarrhea. This is a consequence of lactose intolerance. Many people find it confusing because they were able to easily digest milk when they were younger but then lost this ability.
According to internist Dr. Sean Chung, almost every child is born with the ability to absorb lactose (a type of sugar found in mammalian milk). Most children, regardless of race, utilize lactase enzymes present in the small intestine to break down the molecular structure of lactose into glucose and galactose, enabling easy absorption through the intestinal lining.
Like other mammals, the stability of lactase plays a crucial role in helping children digest milk, especially during breastfeeding.
Bloating, abdominal pain, or diarrhea when consuming milk or dairy products indicates lactose intolerance.
Doctors in Southern California explain that many of us experience a significant decrease in lactase enzyme levels by the age of five. This phenomenon is known as lactase non-persistence, causing lactose in milk to remain unprocessed. At this point, the lactose in the intestine draws water from the body and is converted by gut bacteria into uncomfortable substances, including hydrogen gas.
In fact, early human civilizations did not consume lactose into adulthood. It was only during the agricultural revolution thousands of years ago that populations in the Western Hemisphere developed stable lactase enzymes. Humans evolved to tolerate a new source of dairy food beyond breast milk, stemming from the domestication of animals.
This phenomenon can be explained from an evolutionary perspective, suggesting that citizens of certain countries became adapted to milk simply because they consumed more of it.
Unlike countries near the equator, people in Northern European countries need to consume more milk to supplement calcium due to a deficiency of Vitamin D from sunlight.
That is why the rate of lactose intolerance in Northern European residents can be as low as 5%, while in some Asian communities, it can exceed 90%.
To improve the situation, those who are lactose intolerant can consume small amounts of milk at a time, opt for cheese and yogurt, which contain less lactose than fresh milk; or purchase dairy products that have been processed to break down lactose beforehand to avoid these symptoms.
