It is difficult to imagine humanbeings without milk. But can you believe that early man lacked the ability todigest milk? 

To your utter surprise, it’s true, asrevealed by a recent study. 

According to the study published inthe University of Pennsylvania, humans were drinking milk even before they hadthe genes or the ability to digest it. Confused? 

Let’s dig deeper!

Man Vs Milk 

While the early humans are believedto live between 6 and 2 million years ago, their ability to digest milk (evenas an infant) evolved just 6000 years ago, as the study suggested.

Today, consuming milk may be a commonpractice across the world, but the first people who started drinking regularlywere early farmers living in the Western Europe. And these humans were theearliest ones to domesticate cattles and cows.

So how did humans manage to digest it?

Milk contains a type of sugar calledlactose, which is distinct from the sugars found in fruit and other sweetfoods. When we are babies, our bodies make a special enzyme called lactase thatallows us to digest the lactose in our mother’s milk. But after we are weanedin early childhood, for many people this stops. Without lactase, we cannotproperly digest the lactose in milk. As a result, if an adult drinks a lot ofmilk they may experience painful cramps and even diarrhoea.

So the first Europeans who drank milkprobably farted a lot as a result. But then evolution kicked in: some peoplebegan to keep their lactase enzymes active into adulthood. It is due to theresult of some gene mutations that led to the production of the enzyme lactasein the adults. Lactase helped break the milk sugar lactose into glucose andgalactose, making it absorbable into the bloodstream. The process that enabledadults to digest the lactose in milk is known as Lactase Persistence. This phenomenonallowed them to drink milk without side effects.

Expert regarded this ability of humanbeings to collect, process, and consume milk from other animals as the mostprofound revolution in evolution of dietary habits in humans. Animal milkwas a complete food that was rich in proteins, fat, and micronutrients and wasavailable even in arid environments.

The introduction of milk in the humanlife is viewed as a milestone in human evolution history. It was so significantthat the nature drove a genetic adaptation in the form of lactase persistenceto allow human beings to digest the milk and benefit from it.

Binsar Farms is a trusted name in thesphere of milk and milk products. While the most milk brands source their milkfrom multiple unregulated sources, we have reared our own cows at ourcontrolled farms. Its important to understand here that milk which is producedand stored hygienically can let Lactose remain intact in the milk. For hygienicproduction, we have an automated system in place for milking, pasteurisation,and packaging milk, so that milk doesn’t come in contact with air or outsideenvironment and bacteria doesn’t get developed. Unlike other brands, we go theextra mile to ensure our customers 100% Natural and 100% Pure milkwith 100% nutrients preserved by taking preventive measures that others may notbother to follow.

References:

https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution#:~:text=Humans%20first%20evolved%20in%20Africa,different%20species%20of%20early%20humans.

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-20682-3

https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20190218-when-did-humans-start-drinking-cows-milk

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