Lactose-Free Statins

Many people who take statin drugs to help lower their cholesterol suffer from muscle pains that the drugs cause.

An article in the Jerusalem Post quotes Prof. Jeff Aronson, clinical reader in clinical pharmacology, University of Oxford, UK, on a new statin drug Ezetrol (ezetimibe) that may lower that risk and may also be lactose-free:

Simvacor is simvastatin, one of a group of drugs (the statins) that inhibit an important enzyme in the synthesis of cholesterol, reducing its production. They can all cause muscle stiffness, pain and tenderness, although the risks are different with different statins. In rare cases there can be severe muscle damage. Ezetrol is ezetimibe, which lowers cholesterol by a different mechanism: It reduces its absorption from the gut. There have been a few anecdotal reports that ezetimibe can also cause muscle damage, but because it is a much newer drug, it is impossible to say at present what the risk is and whether it is less than with the statins. It may be that someone who has had muscle pain from a statin is at a higher risk of muscle pain from ezetimibe, but there is currently no information about that.

You should ask your doctor to see whether this might be a possibility for you, but there is always more risk with newer drugs because they lack the wide usage that brings out previously unknown problems like muscle pains.

GoDairyFree Monthly Food Prize

The ever-busy Alisa Fleming of GoDairyFree.org has a new promotion happening at her site.

Here's the whole press release:

Las Vegas, NV, March 16, 2007 --(PR.COM)-- The informational website, www.GoDairyFree.org has launched a monthly prize giveaway within their line up of new offerings. Each month one newsletter subscriber is chosen at random to receive a gift package from the sponsoring food company. All prizes are dairy-free, and many are also vegan, gluten-free, kosher certified, and/or food allergy friendly.

“Our goal is to provide dairy-free, vegan, and special diet consumers with as many great food options as possible. We thought monthly prize giveaways would be a fun way to introduce some of the specialty food manufacturers,” said Alisa Fleming, the website’s founder and author of the book “Dairy Free Made Easy.”

The March prize will be provided by Divvies, a producer of food allergy-friendly cupcakes, cookies, candy, and popcorn. Divvies’ product line is vegan, kosher certified, and free of dairy, eggs, tree nuts, and peanuts. Nonetheless, these Disney World approved treats will likely please all sweets cravings and partygoers, food allergy or not. The drawing for the Divvies prize will occur on March 19. If you do not enter in time, just use the coupon code DairyFree10 at www.Divvies.com to purchase any of their goodies at 10% off.

Future monthly giveaways seem to be equally enticing. On tap for April is Namaste Foods (www.namastefoods.com), purveyors of gluten-free, dairy-free pasta and baking mixes. Their products are also vegan, kosher-certified, and free of several food allergens including soy, corn, and nuts. For May, NoNuttin’ Foods (www.nonuttin.com) of Canada will make a prize offering from among their selection of natural granola bars, snacks, and baking ingredients.

The Go Dairy Free newsletter is sent out once per month with recipes, nutrition news, product reviews, and special offers. Visit www.GoDairyFree.org to register. Newsletter sign-up requires only a valid email address, so that the winner may be reached successfully.

Go Dairy Free was created as a central resource for special diet consumers. Reader feedback, ratings, and comments are welcome throughout the website. "Dairy Free Made Easy," a limited run publication, is currently available to purchase directly from www.GoDairyFree.org, or via www.Amazon.com.

Lactose-Free Congratulations

Lactose-Free congratulations go to Valarie Watson, who was recently selected as one of 10 finalists in the dessert category of Johnson & Wales University's National High School Chef of the Year competition, from among 725 entrants.

According to Jason Beck's article in the Dunn, NC, Daily Record:

With inspiration from Chef Pearl, she created the masterpiece that earned her a spot in the competition - the banana-flavored, lactose-free panna cotta with almond lace cookie.

An Italian dessert featuring gelatin, bananas, strawberries, chocolate hearts and a twisted cookie, the panna cotta has visual appeal. Judges selected which students would advance to the final round after viewing pictures of the dish, nutrition information and ingredients.

...

Valarie chose her dessert for another reason: She is lactose intolerant.

Though the soy-milk dessert is not exactly a staple of Southern culture, Chef Pearl said many of his students enjoyed the unique creation after some persuasion.

"When we finally got some of the students to try it, they actually liked it," he said.

Obviously the judges were impressed as well.

She'll know very soon how well she does in the finals: they're held tomorrow (3/17). The rest of us will probably have to wait to find out until they are shown on Food TV, which they will be at a yet unscheduled time.

[Update]

Valarie Watson was first runner-up in the dessert category and the winner of a $7,500 renewable tuition scholarship.

Another Victory for Ignorance

Is there any actual evidence that the growth hormone rBST (recombinant Bovine SomatoTropin -- also known as rBGH: recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone) causes harm to anyone? No.

Can milk be made that is hormone free? No. All milk, including mother's milk, has natural hormones. All cow's milk naturally includes BST. (rBST is a synthetic hormone that is added to increase milk production.)

But a pervasive fear campaign by anti-milk forces have convinced consumers that hormones are dangerous. California Dairies Inc., California's largest dairy cooperative, will stop using rBST as of August, 2007.

It shouldn't be needed, but in the internet world I've learned that the obvious must be said in so many words: I am not in favor of putting untested chemicals into our foods. At the same time I try not to worry about "chemicals" added to foods. Every substance is a chemical, and all too often the word chemical is thrown around simply to frighten people who should know better.

Is rBST untested? Hardly. Wikipedia notes that the:

World Health Organization, American Medical Association, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, the European Commission Directorate for Consumer Health and the American Veterinary Medical Association have all found milk from rbST-supplemented cows to be safe for humans and the same as milk from cows not receiving these supplements.

There are no comparable groups who have found that bBST is unsafe, although Health Canada has not approved its use on the grounds that its safety has not been proven rather than any specific health risks it has found in humans.

So why is the California group stopping the use of rBST? Natalie Otis in the Auburn Journal says it's simply because consumers have gotten scared by the controversy.

Regardless of the hormones in milk, Bradley said that there many milk alternative brands on the market as consumers have voiced their needs and manufacturers have responded.

It is simple supply and demand.

"With more people lactose intolerant and impacted by allergies the industry has created options," Bradley said.

Producing options for those with lactose intolerance, a known problem with a known cause and a known cure, is not at all the same as changing milk production based on vague and unproven fears. (Not to mention that no milk at all anywhere is made for people with cow's milk protein allergies.)

Is rBST so unequivocally safe that it is no longer being investigated? Not at all. Research continues daily, even though the FDA approved its use on cows as far back as 1993 and has not changed its stance. It may be that more careful or focused studies will show that rBST create health concerns.

Real health concerns are a true industry problem, and I'm happy to crusade against them at any time. What's in the minds of people today, however, is anything but real:

Kim Bradley, manager at Sunrise Natural Foods in Auburn, said a large percentage of the health food store's customers are searching for organic milk that is free of added hormones.

"I can't say exactly, but I know that milk sales are a big part of the business," she said.

Bradley explained that her customers have expressed that they are concerned about the milk and what hormone-laden products can do to growing children.

"Consumers are worried that the use of drugs is harmful to infants and young children who are still developing," she said. "Consumers don't want to introduce steroids into young bodies."

Bradley explained that another concern is that the hormone RBST reduces body fat and that body fat holds toxins. She is concerned that toxins could be present in the milk supplied by the injected cows.

Toxins? "Toxins" is a scare word, pure and simple. As soon as you read or hear anyone talking about "toxins" in the body or the need to purify the body of toxins, run the other way. Any product that claims to purify your body of toxins is a scam, based solely on scary-sounding propaganda.

I've found a site that appears to give good information about rBST. The site is rbstfacts.org. Its claim is that:

rbSTFacts.org neither endorses nor opposes the use of rbST. Its only goal is to provide a clearinghouse of scientifically-validated information about rbST.

Maybe. The site is owned by DeLaunay Communications, Inc., a Seattle-based PR firm that does work for many large corporate clients including the "Cooking with Kids" site and program of the Dairy Farmers of Washington. And the site:

was developed as a collaborative project by the Washington State Department of Agriculture (WSDA) and the Washington Dairy Products Commission (WDPC), a Washington state agency.

No question that RBSTfacts.org is not an anti-milk propaganda site. How neutral you find it will depend on your outlook. Still, there's a huge amount of information, links, and resources there.

I like research. I like facts. I like information. "Better safe than sorry" sounds good in theory and is often the best course to take in fact. There are already so many known dangers to the food supply that we can hardly argue for adding any others.

But disinformation, propaganda, and scare tactics about our food is not the way to go. Taking perfectly good food off the market or banning the possibility of cheaper and more abundant foods because of unproven science and distorted facts is just as harmful to the world in the long run.

Let's think carefully about our foods and make good decisions about what and how we eat. Let's not give in to ignorance. Educate yourself. Be the wisest consumer you can be.

Hydrolyzed casein formula may slash eczema in infants

Here's an important new study from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (published on-line ahead of print, doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2006.11.017)

"Certain hydrolyzed formulas reduce the incidence of atopic dermatitis but not that of asthma: Three-year results of the German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study," by A. von Berg, S. Koletzko, B. Filipiak-Pittroff, B. Laubereau, A. Grübl, H.-E. Wichmann, C.-P. Bauer, D. Reinhardt, D. Berdel and the German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study Group.

The NutraIngredients.com site has some explanation in words approaching normal English.

Eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis (AD), is one of the first signs of allergy during the early days of life and is said to be due to delayed development of the immune system. According to the American Academy of Dermatologists it affects between 10 to 20 percent of all infants, but almost half of these kids will 'grow out' of eczema between the ages of five and 15.

The researchers, from Marien-Hospital Wesel, Ludwig Maximilians University, Neuherberg's Institute of Epidemiology, and Technical University of Munich, recruited 2252 newborns with a family history of allergy and assigned them to one of four intervention groups: formula containing only cow's milk (control), or formulas with partially hydrolyzed whey, extensively hydrolyzed whey, or extensively hydrolyzed casein.

Cow's milk proteins, which are the most widely used in routine infant formulas, are the most common allergen in infancy, so the study examined formulas in which the proteins were broken down to decrease the chances of allergy.

The German Infant Nutritional Intervention Study (GINI) found that after three years, the partially hydrolyzed whey formula and the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula reduced the period prevalence of eczema by 48 and 47 per cent, respectively, while the cumulative incidence for the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula decreased by 33 per cent, compared to the cow's milk formula group.

"The preventive effect developed in the first year and persisted into the third year, indicating real disease reduction rather than postponement of disease onset," wrote Von Berg.

The researchers also report that children with a genetic history of eczema in their family had a significantly reduced risk of eczema when consuming only the extensively hydrolyzed casein formula.

The researchers emphasize that breastfeeding is still the "gold standard" for preventing allergies, but that hydrolyzed formulas are truly helpful in cases where breastfeeding is not possible.

No Wonder the English Need Dentists

I don't know what it is about the English and their teeth. It's a stereotype that all the late-night comics make fun of.

But when you read Nothing but the tooth, by Angela Epstein, you begin to realize that they seriously need some help.

Nothing worse than nonsense in an article intended to punctuate myths. For example:

DRINKING MILK CAN DAMAGE YOUR TEETH
While milk has an excellent nutritional content, it should only be drunk at meal times as the lactose (milk sugar) content can damage the teeth. For this reason, do not leave milk by a child's bed overnight, as drinking it through the night will mean the teeth are under an acid attack - particularly as neutralising saliva dries up while we sleep.

Two bizarre claims there.

First, the amount of sugar in milk is only about 5%. It is much less sweet than fruit juices or soft drinks. Milk is what you should drink instead of sweeter drinks.

Who says? The UK Food Standards Agency, that's who.

Milk contains vitamins and minerals such as calcium and it doesn't cause tooth decay.

Second, milk doesn't have high acidity, either. According to the dairy scientists at the University of Guelph:

The pH of milk at 25° C normally varies within a relatively narrow range of 6.5 to 6.7.

Since neutral water has a pH of 7.0, milk is just very slightly acid. That's because it has little acid in it, says the University of California at Davis:

The acidity of milk from individual cows ranges from 0.10 to 0.26 %. Herd milk varies less in acidity because of commingling,, but occasionally herds are found where the acidity of the fresh milk is 0.18 % and as high as 0.23 %.

Please take Ms. Epstein out for a good, um, tongue-lashing.

Allergy Steals Your Zest for Life

That headline's a great line, taken from Allergy Alert by the Malaysian Society of Allergy and Immunology (MSAI) in conjunction with the MSAI Congress 2007.

The article continues:

But sadly, allergy is still not accorded the attention and priority that it needs.

Why? Perhaps it is because allergy seldom kills or maims. Yes, life does go on for allergy sufferers, but unless you have an allergy yourself or live with someone who has it, you will never fully understand the impact of allergy on the quality of life. The physical suffering, the mental torment, the emotional struggles, the financial strain and the endless limitations in many aspects of life, ranging from food to sports or vacation to vocation.

In a nutshell, allergy rarely kills but often steals your zest for life.


atopic dermatitis

As 60% of all allergies appear during the first year of life, it is only logical for allergy prevention to be focused on infants and young children. In fact, it is estimated that 35% of children are affected by allergy.

The most common manifestations of allergy in children are food allergy, atopic dermatitis, asthma and allergic rhinitis/conjunctivitis.

As if the misery of one form of allergy, say dermatitis, is not enough, allergies may come in a series called the “allergy march”. Leading this march is atopic dermatitis which is often accompanied by food allergy. A large proportion of children with atopic dermatitis then progress to rhinitis or asthma later in life. Thus, the development of allergic diseases can be life-long.

Up till now, there is still no cure for allergy and prevention remains the only way to stop the allergy march. But before we can put the brakes on allergy, we must know what drives it.

Genetic link

Allergic diseases run in families. If you and your spouse both suffer from allergies, your children will have a 40-60% risk of developing allergies. If only one of you is allergic, then the risk falls to 20-40%.

However, even if both parents are allergy-free, the offspring will still run a 5-15% risk. So, allergy prevention is justified for all infants.

Allergy prevention is not easy, however. The best preventive is to breastfeed your baby for at least the first six months of life. Stay away from highly allergenic foods until the baby is at least a year old. Dairy allergies would make this tricky, since cow's milk formulas and dairy products are normally started much earlier. Still, there are numerous alternative products available today.

Remember, this applies to allergies, not lactose intolerance. Babies do not become lactose intolerant except temporarily if they have an intestinal upset. See Babies Aren't Lactose Intolerant

Win Free Fudge for a Year!

A year's supply of fudge. And I'm talking about dairy-free fudge.

It's not for me. I'm on a permanent healthy diet, remember?

But it's yours for the gorging, and all you have to do is enter and answer a question.

Well, living in the UK would help.

The press release says:

Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen are giving you the chance to win a year’s supply of free fudge in their new competition at their website, http://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/.

If you win, the nice people at Jim Garrahy’s Fudge Kitchen will send you a gift box of deliciously mouth-watering handmade fudge every month for a year.

You’ll be able to choose from over 20 flavours including favourites like Traditional Toffee and Vintage Vanilla, to more unusual concoctions like Lemon Meringue and Cappuccino. There’s even a dairy free option for the lactose intolerant.

To enter just visit http://www.fudgekitchen.co.uk/, and answer a simple question to have your name entered into the draw at the end of March. One person chosen at random will then win their free fudge for a year. Details of the winner will be published on the Jim Garrahy’s website in April.

Contact Information
Jim Garrahy's Fudge Kitchen
Josh Whiten
01227 730216
info@fudgekitchen.co.uk
www.fudgekitchen.co.uk

You can also go directly to the contest page on their website.

Lactase Tablets for Children

I recently received a question often asked, so I thought I would repeat the answer here.

What is the recommended dose of lactase for children given their age and weight?

I answered:

Lactase is not a medication. It works only on the lactose that is in dairy products.

Therefore, there is no children's dose of lactase. Your child can safely take whatever amount is needed to reduce the symptoms.

If your child doesn't like taking pills, try a chewable lactase tablet or crush the pill and put it into a food.

There are no side effects to lactase. Any unneeded lactase will simply be eliminated along with other waste.

Gluten- and Dairy-Free Desserts

Connie Sarros was forced to develop gluten-free recipes when her father was diagnosed with celiac disease in 1993.

Sarros began experimenting in her own kitchen, doing some Internet research, and working mostly by trial and error.

"I would write down the recipes that worked and those that didn't I would toss out," she said. After a while, Sarros had put together a small collection, which she had bound into a booklet and gave to her mother for Mother's Day.

Lisa Abraham, of the Akron Beacon Journal, wrote this in an article on Connie, a local resident. Photo credit: Ed Suba Jr. / Akron Beacon Journal.

Connie has written two gluten-free cookbooks, Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Cookbook for Kids and Busy Adults and Wheat-Free, Gluten-Free Reduced Calorie Cookbook, both available on the Wheat- and Gluten-Free Cookbooks page in my Milk-Free Bookstore. She's working on a new cookbook that should be available in 2008.

It's become much easier for those with gluten allergies, just as it has for those who must avoid milk. The two often go together, as celiac disease can damage the lining of the intestines and create lactose intolerance.

When she first started researching and cooking gluten-free, Sarros, 60, said she could barely find the alternative flours -- rice or garbanzo bean -- typically used in gluten-free cooking.

But as diagnosis of the disease has grown, so has awareness, and companies are responding.

"I would guess that about 15 years ago, there were maybe eight to 10 companies, maximum, that dealt with gluten-free foods. Now there are hundreds," she said.

Celiac disease was once considered very rare, but it is now considered more common than diabetes, Sarros said. Doctors often advise putting children with Down syndrome or autism on gluten-free diets as well, she added.

Food manufacturers, grocery stores, and restaurants have begun to take notice. Outback Steak House has a gluten-free menu, and Wendy's also offers gluten-free items.

Abraham's article also includes wheat- and dairy-free recipes for Chocolate Oblivion, Croatian Walnut Cookies, and Almond Crescents.

Good Allergy Advice from the Mayo Clinic

The Mayo Clinic has an excellent short article titled Preventing food allergy in children up on their web site.

If you're a parent with a child you know is allergic or are worried may be allergy, you should definitely read it.

I'll copy one important section here, about possible allergy prevention:

• Avoid peanuts during pregnancy and while nursing. Eating peanuts during pregnancy and while breast feeding may increase your child's risk for developing a peanut allergy and other allergies — especially if you have a family history of allergies.



• Give your child only breast milk for the first 6 months, if possible. This is the best source of nutrition for your infant — and it may help prevent your child from developing food allergies that can last well into childhood or even adulthood.



• Wait until your child is 6 months old to introduce solid foods. Especially if you have a family history of food allergies, taking steps to prevent early exposure to foods that can cause allergies is a good idea. As a child grows older and the digestive system matures, the body is less likely to absorb food or food components that trigger allergies. Experts believe that waiting to introduce solid foods until your child is 6 months old may help prevent allergies to those foods.



• Introduce cow's milk after one year. Studies show that waiting to introduce cow's milk until your child reaches age 1 reduces the chance your child will develop a milk allergy.



• Introduce eggs at age 2. This may help prevent your child from developing an egg allergy.



• Introduce nuts and seafood at age 3. This may help prevent your child from developing an allergy to these foods. (Do not give your child whole nuts until he or she has molars and can chew them well.)



• Introduce all new foods gradually and one at a time. Before introducing mixed foods that could cause an allergic reaction, introduce each new food on its own. Don't mix foods until you're sure each individual food is tolerated.



• Give your child cooked or homogenized foods. Many foods are less likely to cause an allergic reaction after they are cooked. (However, be careful. A few foods — such as cod and celery — still contain allergy-causing proteins after cooking.)

Before 6 months	Breastfeed only, if possible
6 months	Gradually introduce small amounts of solid foods, and continue breastfeeding
1 year	Introduce cow's milk
2 years	Introduce chicken eggs
3 years	Introduce peanuts, tree nuts and seafood

Lactose Is not Milk Allergy

I'm not sure I'd trust my medical news from a site named DogFlu.ca. At least not medical news about humans.

Take the big news about a story of ancient bones in Europe that I've been covering in DNA Lactose Surprise? Not to Me. and DNA Lactose Surprise Follow-up.

The Dog flu people wrote a story on it too, called Milk Allergy May Come From Our Ancestors.

And they said:

Studying DNA from skelatal remains from ancient European times has allowed researchers to learn that a common milk allergy may have originated with them.

Lactose intolerance is not milk allergy. They are two totally separate conditions, handled in totally different ways in the body. There have been dozens of articles on this appearing in the past few days. All you had to do was read even one.

You also got the results mixed up. And you even spelled skeletons as "skelatons" and skeletal as "skelatal." Three times.

Morons.

Mangoes and Lactase? Don't Think So

Glurge is that nutty stuff that your so-called friends like to pass around to you via email. It may be sappy, or wild, or outrageous, or just plain wrong.

In that last category is an article, "Benefit of the Mango for the Human Health," by a Dr. Martin Hirte.

I've traced it back to this page, which is copyrighted 1997. It's been picked up a number of times over the years, including recently at Disabled-World.com.

Why do I mention it? Because of this line:

The enzymes of the Mango, such as magneferin, katechol oxidase and lactase, clean the bowel of the "filth" within and are an ideal antidote for all toxic effects inside the body. They provide also sufficient resistance to fight any germs and afflictions.

Lactase? In mangoes? I guarantee that's not true.

Worse, when glurge gets bounced around the net for years, it starts to pick up errors. The Gambia Dairy Observer ran the story with this odd variation:

The enzyme list continues with mangneferin, katechol oxidise and lactose that not only protect the mango from insects, but help humans by stimulating metabolism and purifying the intestinal tract.

Give me a break.

Dr. Hirte is apparently a real doctor, with real credentials.

A well known and highly respected professional German health food researcher and pediatrician Dr. Martin Hirte became interested in PREDA dried mango when he first tasted the Filipino Carabao variety of this rare and exotic dried fruit near his home in Herrsching, Munich.

Google finds a number of German-language hits for him. However, I can't find any connection between mangoes and lactase that doesn't trace back to his original paper. Lactase has never been found in any other fruit or vegetable, and there's not the slightest reason to think that a mango would evolve the ability to manufacture lactase when there is not any conceivable use for it in the mango world. I can't find any research of Hirte's that would back up his claim.

It's baffling.

But not as odd as this other reference I found to lactase while searching the web:

IFT was invited to organise in early September of this year “A Taste of Macao” at the Shangri-La hotel in Manila, The Philippines.

A week long presentation of old Macanese favourites such as Caldo Verde, Octopus Salad, Lactase, Deep fried Bacalhau Balls, African Chicken and Mango Pudding had the Filipino public wanting more.

The world is stranger than you can think.

DNA Lactose Surprise Follow-up

The study referenced in Monday's post, DNA Lactose Surprise? Not to Me., has continued to cause comment around the globe.

First, let me give the abstract of the article, Absence of the lactase-persistence-associated allele in early Neolithic Europeans, , by J. Burger , M. Kirchner , B. Bramanti , W. Haak , and M. G. Thomas, from the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences site, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 10.1073/pnas.0607187104.

Lactase persistence (LP), the dominant Mendelian trait conferring the ability to digest the milk sugar lactose in adults, has risen to high frequency in central and northern Europeans in the last 20,000 years. This trait is likely to have conferred a selective advantage in individuals who consume appreciable amounts of unfermented milk. Some have argued for the "culture-historical hypothesis," whereby LP alleles were rare until the advent of dairying early in the Neolithic but then rose rapidly in frequency under natural selection. Others favor the "reverse cause hypothesis," whereby dairying was adopted in populations with preadaptive high LP allele frequencies. Analysis based on the conservation of lactase gene haplotypes indicates a recent origin and high selection coefficients for LP, although it has not been possible to say whether early Neolithic European populations were lactase persistent at appreciable frequencies. We developed a stepwise strategy for obtaining reliable nuclear ancient DNA from ancient skeletons, based on (i) the selection of skeletons from archaeological sites that showed excellent biomolecular preservation, (ii) obtaining highly reproducible human mitochondrial DNA sequences, and (iii) reliable short tandem repeat (STR) genotypes from the same specimens. By applying this experimental strategy, we have obtained high-confidence LP-associated genotypes from eight Neolithic and one Mesolithic human remains, using a range of strict criteria for ancient DNA work. We did not observe the allele most commonly associated with LP in Europeans, thus providing evidence for the culture-historical hypothesis, and indicating that LP was rare in early European farmers.

I thought this was well known, but apparently not. The Daily Telegraph in an article by Science Editor Roger Highfield reported:

A study of DNA from skeletons suggest that all European adults living between 6,000 BC and 5,000 BC were unable to absorb lactose – a sugar found in milk.

Their findings back the idea that the ability to digest milk spread only after the introduction of cattle farming in Europe 20,000 years ago.

The rival idea, that dairy farming was pioneered by a small group of Neolithic farmers who were able to tolerate milk, is overturned by the genetic study by a team from University College London and Mainz University, Germany.

Instead, the Neolithic descendants of Palaeolithic (Stone Age) people evolved their tolerance of milk within the last 8,000 years due to exposure to dairy products, making this "the most rapidly evolved European trait of the past 30,000 years," according to Dr Mark Thomas of UCL. "Lactose tolerance is very much a Neolithic invention."

I've never heard of this rival idea. That's the surprise to me. In fact, a search for "reverse cause hypothesis" comes up empty outside of this abstract both on Google and on Google Scholar. MedlinePlus.gov does give hits, but only to irrelevant topics.

More details as I get them.

Eyes Without a Face

I hope there are vegans who read this blog. Vegans with a sense of humor.

Amy Sedaris, whose book I Like You: Hospitality Under The Influence was a sad disappointment, does better with the Amy Sedaris Craft Challenge.

Taking the vegan lament/boast/challenge/oneupmanship of "I don't eat anything with a face" a little too seriously, she challenged people to add googly eyes to non-faces and put the resulting pictures up on Flickr.

The resulting 316 photos can be seen via a link at the page given above. Many are hilariously creative. For those with a sense of humor.

Those with absolutely no sense of humor whatsoever can complain here to people with even less of a sense of humor than you.

Gas Caused by More Than Dairy

Yam Cher Seng, a pharmacist, wrote an article for the New Straits Times that covers a lot of intestinal ground.

INTESTINAL problems are one of the main health issues plaguing our society. They are very common and if you were to ask around, chances are that everyone would have suffered from at least one digestive problem sometime in one’s life.

...

Common symptoms include bloating, belching, flatulence, indigestion, heartburn, gastritis, diarrhoea and constipation.

...

Many people find relief in merely modifying their diet to reduce refined carbohydrates such as white flour, white sugar, white bread, noodles and white rice and increasing their fibre intake.

...

According to the American Dietetic Association, it is recommended that we take about 25-35g of fibre daily.

It is beneficial in regulating bowel movements and adding bulk to the faeces. Regular bowel movements are essential in aiding the body in eliminating toxins, and thus improve intestinal health.

You may achieve this by consuming a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole-grains and pysllium husk. Having regular meal times helps to minimise excessive stomach acid production at any one time and is also good for preventing heartburn and gastric problems.

Excessive gas in the intestines can also be prevented by reducing certain gas-forming food such as broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, cauliflower, onions and legumes.

This is because they contain indigestible sugars that will be broken down by intestinal bacteria to produce gases such as carbon dioxide, hydrogen sulphide and methane.

Avoiding carbonated beverages may also be beneficial.

...

Stress management is also important because nervous people tend to swallow a lot of air, resulting in build-up of excess gases in the digestive tract.

Try to find time in your busy social life for exercise.

Exercise is also recommended to keep the bowels moving normally and helps reduce stress.

DNA Lactose Surprise? Not to Me.

Big news spreading around the scientific world is an article that isn't even available yet. It's a pre-print - a copy circulated before the official print date - of "Absence of the Lactase-Persistence associated allele in early Neolithic Europeans" by J. Burger, M. Kirchner, B. Bramanti, W. Haak, and M. G. Thomas.

Note: I've edited this post to make the proper link to the abstract available.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences site.

With the recently acquired ability to study human DNA and compare it to DNA taken from bones, scientists have a virtual time machine that can study how humans have changed, or not, since ancient times.

Lactose intolerance is a natural thing to study. The ability to manufacture the lactase enzyme as an adult is a simple mutation that is easy to spot. I posted another item about a different study in December, Milk Mutation "Strongest Signal of Selection", in which I quoted University of Maryland biologist Sarah Tishkoff as saying that the LI mutation arose so quickly and was so advantageous that "it is basically the strongest signal of selection ever observed in any genome, in any study, in any population in the world."

In addition,

Tishkoff's team determined the date range when the mutation likely occurred: 3,000 to 7,000 years ago, which matches up well with the archaeological record that places pastoralization coming to East Africa about 5,000 years ago. The European trait dates back about 9,000 years.

The new study does little more than move that European date closer to the present.

An article, Early Europeans unable to stomach milk by Roxanne Khamsi at NewScientist.com reports that:

Researchers analysing the DNA in Neolithic human remains claim to have uncovered the first direct evidence that modern humans have evolved changes in response to natural selection.

Just 7000 years ago, Europeans were unable to digest milk, according to a new analysis of fossilised bone samples – nowadays more than 90% of this population can.

Well, cool. This is extraordinarily difficult and exacting work and is a major advance in the techniques of gene identification.

But a major finding? Perhaps not.

To determine when this special lactose tolerance evolved in Europe, Thomas’s team analysed the DNA from 55 bone samples belonging to eight Neolithic Europeans. The skeletons were dated to between 5840 BC and 5000 BC.

Eight people. I rail at medical journal articles when the study group is that small, because findings are simply all too likely to show up by sheer chance in small groups. Would you be surprised to find no left-handers in a group of eight people?

It's not quite that simple, of course. The number of ancient bones that usable DNA can be extracted from is limited. We'll learn more about the statistical significance of the study when it is published.

Nobody whose read my book or the earlier, admittedly non-genetic, research on LI should be in the least surprised by these findings, however. While interesting, this news is not exactly news.

If there's more to it than first appears, I'll revisit the subject and fill you all in.

Lactose and Casein

I often get email similar to the following, so it's time to remind people of some basic definitions.

Could you please let me know what difference (if any) there is between casein and lactose intolerance. I'm confused.

Here was my answer:

They are two totally different things.

There's no such problem as casein intolerance, although you may sometimes see the term. Casein is a protein is milk, actually a whole family of similar proteins. The other protein family in milk is whey.

Proteins can sometimes enter the bloodstream where the immune system thinks they are invaders and attacks them. This is called an allergic response. Cow's milk protein allergy is the overall term for several types of dairy allergies, which can be to the casein or to the whey or both.

Some people do get gastrointestinal problems as allergy symptoms, but hives, rashes, respiratory complaints, and a host of other symptoms are more common.

Lactose is the sugar in milk. All people can manufacture lactase, the enzyme that digests lactose, at least until they're weaned. Many adults can as well. But if you don't manufacture enough lactase the undigested lactose can cause symptoms including diarrhea, gas, bloating, and cramps. This is called lactose intolerance.

There's really nothing you can do for a dairy allergy except avoid dairy products.

You can take lactase pills to digest the lactose, however, and these should work as well as having natural lactase.

Let's Eat Out!

Kim Koeller "has spent the last 23 years eating 80% of her meals in restaurants around the world while managing over a dozen food related allergies/sensitivities and celiac/coeliac disease. Robert La France has spent over twelve years in the restaurant industry and devotes his spare time to a passion for the culinary arts. Collectively, they have traveled 2+ million miles across the globe, dined in 30+ countries on 4 continents and have conversational skills in French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish."

They've put together a book for the traveler with allergies or gluten sensitivity, titled Let's Eat Out!: Your Passport to Living Gluten And Allergy Free.

According to the book's description:

The first book dedicated to eating around the corner and around the world while managing ten food allergies including: corn, dairy, eggs, fish, gluten, peanuts, shellfish, soy, tree nuts and wheat. At last! A book that gives you the freedom to eat what you want, where you want and when you want with confidence and ease.

Imagine being able to go to any restaurant, scan the menu, quickly spot the safest choices and ask the right questions to avoid gluten and other hidden allergens in food preparation. Imagine exploring more cuisines and enjoying more meals than you ever thought possible, armed with the right knowledge.

Let’s Eat Out! Your Passport to Living Gluten and Allergy Free provides you with everything from delicious menu items to order in 7 popular cuisines (American Steak and Seafood, Chinese, French, Indian, Italian, Mexican, and Thai) to which questions to ask in safely guiding your decisions.

Let’s Eat Out! offers you peace of mind with less effort, enabling you to have more fun. Inside you will find:

* The collaborative process of dining out
* An approach to eating outside the home
* The restaurant approach to handling special dietary requests
* 7 international cuisines outlining traditional ingredients, gluten awareness, allergy & dining considerations and sample menus
* 175+ savory menu item descriptions and preparation requests
* 65+ ingredient and preparation technique descriptions with sample questions to ask
* 10+ allergen quick reference guides
* 130+ snack and light meal ideas
* 200+ breakfast and beverage suggestions
* 300+ multi-lingual phrases
* 50+ global airlines with special meal options
* 100+ product resources in 15 countries
* 180+ international organizations

You can purchase the book at bookstores, at their website glutenfreepassport.com, or through my Milk Free Bookstore on the Allergy Books and Cookbooks page.

Babies Aren't Lactose Intolerant

The public level of understanding about lactose intolerance has increased about a million per cent since I first heard the term in 1978. That was when I was diagnosed with a problem that was totally new to me.

Today, most people have at least heard the term. Perhaps too many. Ever since I started answering emails from the public I've run into those who know that milk causes some kind of problem and since they've heard the term lactose intolerance, that must be what they have.

Too often that's wrong. Especially when parents are talking about their babies. Hardly any infants under the age of three are lactose intolerant, except for the one percent who at any given time have had their lactase-making ability knocked out by some gastrointestinal illness.

Not only do parents get this wrong, but often dietitians, nutritionists, and even doctors seem to mess this us.

That's why it was refreshing to read Dr. Sue Abell's column in which she gets it all correct.

Poor Dr. Sue got a letter from a mother than contained all the confusion and misunderstandings I so often see from parents:

My daughter is lactose intolerant, just like her father and his mother. I'm concerned about getting enough calcium into her once she's no longer on formula. (My husband won't drink soy milk, so I'm thinking she won't either.) I'm assuming she'll be lactose intolerant for life. She drinks soy formula now and is doing much better.

Dr. Sue's response is too long to quote, so please click the link above and check it out. She starts with a sensible paragraph that cuts through the clutter:

I seriously doubt that your daughter is lactose intolerant, and you'll see why in a moment. It sounds like your baby had some sort of reaction when she drank one of the cow's milk formulas, and she was switched to a soy formula and the symptoms resolved. Or she may have even had symptoms with breastfeeding and improved when you stopped breastfeeding and changed to a soy formula.

Although some immune response symptoms to an allergy can include gastrointestinal problems, allergy and intolerance are totally different problems.

Don't just write to an advice doctor about your child. See your own pediatrician and make sure you ask good questions and listen carefully to the answers.