Milk consumption started 7,000 years ago

7000 years ago, people fed on milk

06/21/2012

Dairy products made from sheep's milk, cow's milk and goat's milk are an indispensable component of nutrition in many cultures today. British researchers at the University of Bristol have used potsherds to investigate when milk from domesticated animals has been used for nutrition. The result is surprising: yogurt was already around 7,000 years ago, on the menu in North Africa. The analysis of potsherds from the northern Sahara region revealed that dairy products were consumed as early as 5,200 BC, researchers around Julie Dunne and Richard P. Evershed of the University of Bristol report in the journal „Nature“. According to the researchers, evidence of early extraction and processing of sheep, cow and goat milk had already resulted from cave paintings, the cattle with full udders and „even pictures of people milking cows“, demonstrate. However, these cave paintings could not be dated clearly.

Potted shard as evidence of prehistoric milk enjoyment
Based on the analysis of potsherds from the Sahara region in southern Libya, British scientists were now able to make a relatively accurate statement about the beginning of milk consumption in North Africa. Julie Dunne and Richard Evershed, together with American, Italian and South African colleagues, studied 81 potsherds found in the Libyan Sahara region. In the past, the region was a lush landscape that favored the keeping of cows, goats and sheep, the scientists said. The fragments found date from the period from 8,100 to 2,600 BC. „Using molecular and isotope analyzes“ According to their own statements, the researchers were able to determine which fats contained the food of the then population. The proven fats in turn made it possible to draw conclusions about the composition of the food.

Residues of animal fats suggest early milk consumption
From circa 5,200 BC, residues of certain animal fats were found on the pottery shards, indicating the beginning consumption of sheep, goats and cow's milk, according to Dunne and Evershed. The shards on which isotopes of fats were found came „at least half of the proven fats from dairy products“, so the statement of British scientists. According to this study, around 7,000 years ago, people in North Africa started to work on dairy cattle and process the nutritious milk. These results confirm the importance of dairy products for the prehistoric people of Africa and Africa „provide an evolutionary context for the emergence of lactase persistence in Africa“, Write Julie Dunne and Richard P. Evershed. The lactase persistence allows people to consume fresh milk without digestive complaints such as abdominal pain, flatulence or diarrhea. Even in adulthood, enough lactase (digestive enzyme) is still produced in order to break down the milk sugar (lactose). However, this property is by no means given to all people. For example, up to 90 percent of the population in the East Asian region has lactose intolerance, which means that their digestive system can not reduce milk sugar to the required extent.

Milk difficult to digest for many people
Even among the prehistoric people in North Africa, the consumption of fresh milk due to the lack of lactase enzyme may have caused significant indigestion, write the British researchers. The people were therefore dependent on a processing of the milk, because with the further processing the lactose content of the dairy products decreases. As yoghurt, prehistoric people could probably consume the milk without major discomfort. Over the millennia, the populations that use the dairy industry have probably developed mutations that are associated with lactase persistence and enable the population to enjoy the milk without complaining. For the prehistoric people in North Africa, this milk tolerance was a key evolutionary advantage, according to the researchers, as they were able to cover their fluid requirements along the way. (Fp)

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Picture: Almotti