Should we drink milk? June 2011
A Project to Determine the Frequency of Lactase Persistence amongst 6th Form Students: A Collaborative Project between CLS and UCL Human Genetics Laboratory
As infants, we have the ability to break down the sugar lactose, present in animal milk, using an enzyme called lactase which is made by cells lining our small intestine. The products, glucose and galactose are the principal source of energy while we are very young. Our ability to produce lactase becomes less important as we grow and start to eat other foods – from the age of 2 onwards - and we stop producing [expressing the gene for] the enzyme. This has the effect of making us lactose intolerant (LI).
However, some individuals retain the ability to digest milk and milk products into adulthood, a condition called lactase persistence (LP). This ability is determined by the genes we inherited from our parents and varies according to where in the world we and our family originated (i.e. our ethnicity and/or ancestry).
This aim of this project was to identify the frequency of lactase persistence in the 6th Form population at CLS and CLSG, many of whom come from very diverse geographical/ethnic backgrounds. The project was undertaken in collaboration with Professor Dallas Swallow and Anke Liebert at the Human Genetics Laboratory at UCL.
To download a copy of the report click here.