Up to 90 percent of South Asians may be lactose intolerant. Lactose intolerance, which is due to the inability to digest milk sugars, is a common disorder caused by a deficiency of the lactase enzyme in the digestive system. Lactose intolerance is three times more common in South Asians than in other populations.
In fact, an estimated 90-100% of adults in East Asia and 80% in Central Asia have an impaired ability to digest lactose.
It is thought that Asian populations have decreased amounts of lactase in adulthood compared to Caucasian populations, especially those of northern European descent.
Lactase nonpersistence is most prevalent in people of East Asian descent, with 70 to 100 percent of people affected in these communities. Lactase nonpersistence is also very common in people of West African, Arab, Jewish, Greek, and Italian descent.
An intriguing little detail in all this frothy commerce is that many people in China, like much of Asia, are lactose intolerant. Human children produce an enzyme that allows them to digest milk, but in much of the world, its levels taper off as they grow up.
Milk and dairy products have become an indispensable part of the Japanese diet. Milk and dairy products are now a common sight in refrigerators in Japanese homes, but when and how did they start to take root in our daily lives?
Although the purpose of the research was not to investigate lactose intolerance and milk acceptability directly, the observations strongly indicate that Chinese children can drink milk.
China, despite a growing interest in milk, is again near the very bottom, just above North Korea and Indonesia, where people basically don't drink milk. One last interesting tidbit is how milk consumption varies by age in a way soda and fruit juice consumption does not.
Dairy products
Many runners experience stomach pain during the initial days of their running. Gastrointestinal experts suggest that this is primarily because they are lactose intolerant. Such runners find it difficult to digest dairy products such as milk, cheese, etc.
Simply, it's tradition. And the Indy 500 is all about tradition. After taking the checkered flag at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in one of the biggest motor sports races in the world, the winning driver is draped with a giant flowered wreath and handed a bottle of ice-cold milk.
It's believed that Japanese people have only been consuming milk for about 150 years. It all began after the country opened its ports to the world and came into contact with Western culture. This is why about 90 percent of Japanese people are lactose intolerant now.
Many Vietnamese lack calcium since sources such as milk, dairy products and soy products are not part of the diet. (Vietnamese of Chinese descent, however, may eat tofu and other soy products.) Further, many Vietnamese adults are lactose intolerant. Most Vietnamese children growing up in the U.S., however, drink milk.
Generally, dairy consumption is much lower in Asians, especially in Koreans because dairy foods are not a part of the traditional Korean diet and 75 % of Koreans have lactose intolerance ( 5 , Reference Scrimshaw and Murray 11 ).
Livestock was too busy for dairy
Which makes sense. But the biggest reason Asian cultures don't regularly incorporate cheese into their cooking is probably because so many East Asians are lactose intolerant. In fact, they're drastically more likely to be lactose intolerant than Westerners.
According to a survey among South Korean milk drinkers on their reasons for consuming milk, around 45.3 percent of respondents answered that they consumed milk as a snack to appease their hunger. According to the same source, especially respondents aged 14 to 39 gave this as a reason.
Global consumption of fluid milk 2022, by country
In 2022, India consumed the most cow milk worldwide, drinking about 85 million metric tons. The next largest consumption of milk was in the European Union, at 23.8 million metric tons.
Dairy is Not a Good Source of Calcium
Milk does not have the proper balance of calcium and magnesium to result in proper absorption rates. This can result in a greater risk of fractures. In fact, according to Nurses' Health Study, dairy can actually increase the risk of bone fractures by over 50%.
Pizza can work, if you go light on the cheese and skip greasy sausage or pepperoni—think a couple slices of a Margherita pie, with fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, and basil. Pancakes with a side of egg whites (Rudser-Rusin's go-to from her days racing marathons and Ironman triathlons).
Common reasons against milk consumption in Japan 2021
Around 29 percent of respondents stated that they stopped drinking milk after they had an upset stomach, whereas 2.3 percent worried about forgeries related to food labeling like product origins.
Finnish milk is among the cleanest milk in the world thanks to healthy cows. The superior quality of Valio milk is ensured by expert milk producers supported by first-class advisory services. Valio milk ranks among the cleanest in the world, and we have zero tolerance for antibiotic residue in milk.
The Muslim faith prefers everything that is healthy for humans, and milk is extremely healthy and nutritious. Only that which will cause harm to human health and that which is stated as such in the holy book, the Quran, is forbidden.
There has not been dairy in the mainstream Chinese diet for centuries — no butter, no milk, no cheese, nothing. Ninety percent of the population is said to be lactose intolerant.
The historical evolution of infant feeding includes wet nursing, the feeding bottle, and formula use. Before the invention of bottles and formula, wet nursing was the safest and most common alternative to the natural mother's breastmilk.
Breastfeeding in China
Virtually all mothers can breastfeed, provided they have accurate information and the support of their family, the health care system and society at large.