SC - Re: OOP- interesting question

[Peters, Rise J.]

>>Please don't take this the wrong way, but _are_ there any regions of
Europe where little milk is used? I'm aware of places in Europe where
few fruits and vegetables grow, and milk, meat, and fish comprise the
main part of the diet (Greenland, Iceland, and parts of Finland, for
example). I don't think I've ever heard of any place in Europe where the
reverse applies... .

We studied the question of milk tolerance in evolutionary anthro, years ago,
and my understanding at that point is that the species norm for homo sapiens
is a dietary intolerance for milk products among adults.  As a normal member
of the species ages beyond normal nursing age, s/he gradually becomes unable
to digest milk products and finds that eating them causes digestive upsets
(and terrible gas).  Deviations from the species norm are found mainly among
northern European tribal peoples (and their descendents) and, in Africa,
among the Masai, because those groups kept cattle and it was a significant
survival advantage for an adult to be able to digest milk.

I believe the mucus reaction is generally separate from the question of milk
intolerance and occurs much more widely, even among those of us whose
digestive systems are quite satisfied with the milk!
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