Trix Aren't for Neolithics: Ancient Man No Fan of Milk

British researchers think all Europeans were allergic to milk — lactose-intolerant — until fairly recently. A study of Neolithic skeletons found that none held a gene that would have allowed them to drink milk without severe side effects. The gene allows the body to process lactose in milk; some people still don’t have it. Why […]

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British researchers think all Europeans were allergic to milk -- lactose-intolerant -- until fairly recently.

A study of Neolithic skeletons found that none held a gene that would have allowed them to drink milk without severe side effects.

The gene allows the body to process lactose in milk; some people still don't have it.

Why bother drinking milk when there's no breakfast cereal or chocolate-chip cookies around?

"The ability to drink milk is the most advantageous trait that's evolved in Europeans in the recent past," [a researcher said.]

"Although the benefits of milk tolerance are not fully understood, they probably include the advantage of a continuous supply compared with the 'boom and bust' of seasonal crops, its nourishing qualities, and the fact that, unlike stream water, it's uncontaminated with parasites, making it safer.

"All in all, the ability to drink milk gave some early Europeans a big survival advantage."

Early man couldn't stomach milk" [BBC]