On Tue, 29 Jan 2002 08:30:42 -0500 Amadeus Schmidt <[log in to unmask]>
writes:

> >After all, digestion of lactose is NORMAL for human infants.
>
> Very true.
> Well, for human milk.
> Somehow I can't buy the lactose/lactase story.
> Lactose (this is milk sugar) can be eaten in incredible high
> amounts (several spoonfulls) with even beneficial effects
> on the gut.  Even normally lactose isn't wholly digested by
> humans - friendly bacteria do a big part of this.


NO, NO, NO, NO, NO!

Lactose is lactose, whether from human milk, or any other...  Lactose
intolerance is a well documented medical condition.  While there may be
various causes for the body to stop or reduce production of lactase (some
temporary), the effects are identical.  There are also simple and
definitive medical tests to diagnose the condition.

Further, as someone who was definitively diagnosed many years ago, I have
VAST experience of consuming lactose in varying amounts, from various
sources, both with and without lactase supplements.  I also have vast
experience of consuming all sorts of foods WITHOUT lactose for long
periods, and I'm here to tell you that there is NO other reasonable
explanation.

I hope that you never suffer the severe pain and other symptoms that a
lactose intolerant person can suffer if they consume even a "moderate"
amount of lactose without an accompanying lactase supplement.  The only
pain I have experienced that is more severe are kidney stone and
gallbladder attacks.

Yes, lactose is a natural milk sugar, and it is present in the milk of
ALL mammals.  However, in the course of a "normal" life, no mammal
consumes milk after infancy.  It is, therefore, no surprise that the
natural condition would be for the body to stop producing a digestive
enzyme that it no longer needs.  But since it *IS* natural, it's not hard
to imagine a relatively fast adaptation to retain lactase production
beyond infancy.

The fact that even this relatively "easy" adaptation has happened in a
relatively small part of the human population, should only support the
idea that more radical adaptations have taken place in an even smaller
part of the population...
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