Do Asians Breast feed? I heard most are lactose intolerant?

Question

Do Asians Breast feed? I heard most are lactose intolerant?

Answer 1

Yes it is true that most adult asians have lactose sensitivity, but, no babies are lactose intolerant.  They can be milk protein sensitive though.

Answer 2

Of course they do.

Human babies, regardless of race or genetic origin are never lactose  intolerant.  (Because human milk DOES contain a lot of lactose, this would be a non-survivable trait.)

After infancy/early childhood, lactose intolerance does develop in a fairly large percentage of people, with some groups (like Asians) having a higher incidence than others.

(Speculation -- do most Asian cultures rarely use animal milks BECAUSE they are so often LI ... or did LI develop in that part of the world because animal milks were so rarely used.  I'll have to research that one ...)

EDIT: Noting that quite a few responses are confulsing lactose intolerance (vanishinly rare in babies but common in adults) with milk-protein allergy (common in babies, but less common in adults.)

Answer 3

Umm, of course we do.

Answer 4

Formula has only been around for the last hundred years or so and not widely available since the 1940's.  How do you suppose that they survived infancy up until that point in human history?

Also, cow's milk and human milk have different properties.  Many people who have problems with the proteins in cow's milk are able to take human milk just fine.  Human milk was intended for human babies.

Answer 5

http://www.drgreene.com/21_836.html

"The statistic also does not apply to babies. Infants from all parts of the world do tolerate lactose--otherwise they couldn't digest breast milk well. Their bodies make an enzyme, lactase, which enables them to digest the sugar in milk. As a result, in healthy full-term infants lactose intolerance is extremely rare. It is more common in premature babies, who are sometimes lactose intolerant until they begin to approach their original due dates. At that point, their bodies start making lactase. Newborn lactose intolerance is quite obvious, usually manifesting as discomfort with each feeding. "

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Galactosemi... discusses a disease where children are truly unable to digest lactose at all.

Answer 6

wow I can't beleive this question.  Most of the Mothers in the world breast feed especially less westerized countries.    

Answer 7

*rolls eyes*

ADULT lactose intolerance is unrelated to congenital (infant) lactose intolerance.  The rate of congenital lactose intolerance is low in all populations.  

If asian babies couldn't drink mom's milk how did they survive before formula was invented????

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/l...

Adult lactose intolerance

The lactase enzyme levels normally change over the course of a life span. They rise rapidly in the first week after birth and fall sharply in later childhood, starting to fall from about three to five years of age. The low levels of the enzyme present in the first week of life are matched by low levels of lactose in colostrum. Cows' milk is commonly consumed by adults in some populations, but these consist of people of mostly northern European descent. In about 70% of the people of the world, and about 10% of Australians, levels of this enzyme fall so low in adulthood that these people are lactose intolerant. The tendency to adult lactose intolerance is genetically determined. Some races, such as Asian, African, Australian Aboriginal and Hispanic populations have a greater tendency to adult lactose intolerance. Caucasians are more likely to be able to consume milk as adults because they tend to continue to produce the lactase enzyme throughout life. Even so, the levels do fall with age and people who have been able to drink milk as adults may find they become lactose intolerant when elderly. An adult who has very low levels of the enzyme can usually tolerate some lactose because normal bacteria living in the gut provide a limited capacity to handle it. However, the person may find it tends to give them loose stools and 'wind'.



All human races' babies can tolerate lactose. In fact human milk has a very high concentration of lactose compared to cows' milk and that of other mammals. This is thought to be related to a human baby's rapid brain growth in infancy, compared to other mammals. Removing lactose from any baby's diet for more than a short period should not be done lightly, and only under medical supervision.

http://www.kellymom.com/babyconcerns/lac...

Primary lactose intolerance (also called developmental, late-onset or adult lactose intolerance) is relatively common in adults (and more common in some nationalities than others), and is caused by a slow decrease in the body's production of lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose (milk sugar). This occurs gradually, over a period of years, and never appears before 2-5 years old and often not until young adulthood. Almost all adults who are lactose intolerant have this type of lactose intolerance, which is not related to lactose intolerance in babies.

Congenital lactose intolerance and similar congenital disorders

    * Congenital lactose intolerance is very rare and is an inherited metabolic disorder rather than an allergy. This disorder is generally apparent within a few days after birth and is characterized by severe diarrhea, vomiting, dehydration and failure to thrive. It resolves after the age of six months.

    * A similar, less severe, metabolic disorder is congenital lactase deficiency. This disorder, apparent within 10 days of birth, occurs when brush-border lactase activity (required for the digestion of lactose) in the small intestine is low or absent at birth and is characterized by diarrhea and malabsorption. It is also very rare.

    * Galactosemia is another rare metabolic disorder that occurs when the liver enzyme GALT, needed to break down galactose, is partially or completely absent. Although this disorder does not directly concern lactose, babies with the more severe forms of galactosemia will not be able to tolerate any lactose since lactose is formed from the two sugars galactose and glucose. The classical form of galactosemia is characterized by vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice and failure to thrive within a few days after birth.

    * Some premature babies have a temporary form of lactose intolerance because their bodies are not yet producing lactase. This will go away as baby matures, and in fact the maturation process can be accelerated by baby's ingestion of lactose.

http://www.breastfeeding.asn.au/bfinfo/l...

Lactose intolerance in babies

The original Milk Bar! Primary (or true) lactose intolerance is an extremely rare genetic condition and is incompatible with normal life without medical intervention. A truly lactose intolerant baby would fail to thrive from birth (ie not even start to gain weight), and show obvious symptoms of malabsorption and dehydration - a medical emergency case needing a special diet from soon after birth.

Answer 8

Lactose intolerant babies can breastfeed just fine. If they are lactose intolerant the mom should just avoid dairy while still nursing.

Answer 9

Yeah, they sure do. I know I did when I was a baby.

Answer 10

Lactose intolerance implies intolerance to dairy products, not human breast milk.

Answer 11

Yes, Asians do breast feed.  Before the invention of formula, breast milk is the only source of 'food' for newborns.  So, newborns are rarely lactose intolerant or allergic to mother's breast milk.