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The mystery of early milk consumption in Europe

What underpins how humans evolved the capacity to consume milk during adulthood? A look at the connection between health and the genetic changes needed to break down milk offers a surprising new perspective.
By
  1. Shevan Wilkin

    1. Shevan Wilkin is at the Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland.

For decades, it was assumed that the beginnings of human consumption of animal milk occurred in tandem with the spread of the genetic changes needed for people to digest milk into adulthood. However, studies of ancient milk-drinking populations — using methods such as the analysis of ancient DNA, lipids and proteins — indicate that the relationship between these developments is more complex than that. Examination1 of ancient dairy fat and protein residues shows that consumption of animal milk began in Anatolia (a region corresponding to the bulk of what is Turkey today) in the seventh millennium bc. By 5000 bc, this behaviour had spread across Europe2 and the Eurasian steppe3,4, and into northern Africa5. Although milk use was widespread in each of these regions by at least 5000 bc, the genetic underpinnings that enable adults to digest milk were extremely rare. Such genetic changes enable expression of the milk-digesting enzyme lactase to be retained beyond childhood, a state termed lactase persistence (LP). Writing in Nature, Evershed et al.6 offer a fresh perspective on the origins of lactase persistence.

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Nature 608, 268-269 (2022)

doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-022-02041-y

References

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Competing Interests

The author declares no competing interests.

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