Famine and disease may have driven ancient Europeans’ lactose tolerance
Widespread milk consumption might not have been the force behind an ability to digest dairy
![a child holding a glass of milk grimaces](https://i0.wp.com/www.sciencenews.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/072622_bb_lactose-tolerance_feat.jpg?fit=1030%2C580&ssl=1)
Some people like drinking milk more than others, but it helps to be lactose tolerant. This genetic trait spread among ancient Europeans not because they drank a lot of milk but as a result of recurring famines and disease outbreaks, a new study suggests.
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