this post was submitted on 21 May 2024
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Does everyone become lactose intolerant with age?
Lactose intolerance is more common than lactose tolerance globally. In the unites states, something like 1 in 3 people are lactose intolerant.
It's largely genetic. Lactose tolerance can be traced to nomadic tribes that kept milk producing animals as a food source, adapting to tolerate lactose in their diet over time.
But I didn't know it happened with age
Of course it is with age. No mammals are born lactose intolerant. We drink milk as infants.
Almost universally, all adult mammals become lactose intolerant. We humans are lucky for those of us who tolerant.
Sure, but I figured that lactose intolerance would typically manifest before the age of, say, 20. I didn't realize that people could become lactose intolerant as seniors.