Milk the Cow, Change the World

           

Original drawing of a cow by Jamie Langenhan.
Photo: Jamie Langenhan

Did you ever think that the way you act, your habits, and the way you perceive things, can actually affect the inner-workings of your body?  What you are doing, at this very moment, may significantly affect the course of your life.  It may even affect the future our entire race.  Don’t believe me?  Let me tell you a story about a little girl named Lizzy Smith.

 

 

Lizzy woke up and continued her routine as she did every morning.  Mom wasn’t around, and it was at this moment that Lizzy decided that she was going to do the task at hand for herself.  She placed her hands on her hips and with a determined face looked up at the extremely imposing refrigerator.  Up at the very most top, way back on the shelf, was what she was after.  Lizzy wasn’t quite tall enough, so she pulled a chair over and standing on her tippy-toes, she was just able to reach it.  Quite satisfied with herself, she found herself a clean cup on the counter and sat down to enjoy her beverage.            

 

Suddenly, Lizzy was substantially less satisfied.  Her face contorted, she immediately spat out the milk and looked at the date:  Four days old.  Her next reaction was to run to the bathroom, where she threw up and then brushed her teeth.  Later that day at dinner, Lizzy’s mom gave her a cup of milk as usual, but Lizzy declined. She explained to her mother that she preferred not to have milk with her dinner. What Lizzy omitted from her explanation was that the thought of drinking milk made her nauseated.  Life went on as usual for Lizzy with the exception of any dairy products for 2 years.           

 

Lizzy’s mom was becoming concerned for her daughter’s health.  All of the latest news suggested that a healthy child should consume at least three servings of dairy a day.  Confronted with all of the latest health information, Lizzy’s mom decided to have a talk with her daughter.

 

Mrs. Smith: Lizzy, I’ve noticed a change in your behavior, and I have let it slide for some time.  Recently though, I’ve been hearing a lot of news about how the lack of milk in a growing child’s diet can affect their health in a bad way.  I want to make sure that you’re getting enough calcium.      

 

Lizzy went on to explain the incident that changed her habits towards dairy.  Her mother was stunned that one event could affect her daughter’s behavior for so long.  She then opened a fresh carton of milk and convinced Lizzy to try it.

 

Lizzy looked skeptical, but her mother looked worried.  She pretended it was orange juice and took a drink.  She opened her eyes, took a breath, and realized that, it was actually not bad.  Her mom encouraged her to finish the glass and Lizzy obliged.           

 

An hour later, Lizzy began to hear her stomach grumble.  Before she could even wonder what had caused it, she was on her way to the bathroom.  She stayed there for a long time.  When she finally emerged, her mother was at the doorway, looking extremely worried.

 

Mrs. Smith: Lizzy, you look so pale.  What’s wrong?

 

Lizzy: I think I’m sick.


Lizzy shows her disdain for dairy products.
Photo: Olumayowa Dayo


Her mother decided it was time to see a doctor. She gave Lizzy some medicine to soothe her stomach, and called Doctor Sheppard, the family primary care physician to set an appointment.  Once there, Doctor Sheppard asked Lizzy to describe her symptoms after drinking the milk and after further examination broke the news.

 

Dr Sheppard: Lizzy I am sorry to tell you this but you have developed a condition called Lactose intolerance.

 

Mrs. Smith: How is that possible? There is no history of such a thing in our family history.

 

Dr Sheppard: This is a common disease, so there is no need to panic. Since there is no history of lactose intolerance in your family, I believe that Lizzy’s altered behavior caused a physiological change.  That is to say, that her reaction to spoiled milk was imprinted in her memory, and caused her to stop consuming dairy products.  Over several years, her body stopped making the lactate enzyme that breaks down the lactose that we get from milk products. You can say that her body adjusted to the absence of lactose, and closed off that part to save energy for other processes.

 

Lizzy: Are you telling me that I did this to myself? That my fears caused my body to change?

 

Dr Sheppard:  When an environment puts a stress on an organism there is bound to be change to accommodate for this stress and to ensure continued survival of the organism. So let’s just say the environmental stress was the spoiled milk, and that you mentally adjusted to this stress by not drinking milk anymore. So your behavioral change caused a physiological readjustment of your body. There is no cure for lactose intolerance, but you can certainly adjust your feeding habits to reduce the effects of the disease. By avoiding dairy products, however, you run the risk of weakening your bones.  This can lead to osteoporosis and other calcium deficit diseases.  I suggest you take calcium supplements daily.  I also ask that you come in occasionally to make sure that there are no further complications from this.

 

Nondairy products are the greatest when you're lactose intolerant.
Photo: Olumayowa Dayo

Are you surprised that one’s mental decision can lead to a physiological change? Remember that humans used to be lactose intolerant. Over the years, our continuous use of dairy products made dairy available as a food source.  This change provided a nutritional environment that selected for the expression of the gene that codes for the lactase enzyme, which helps digest lactose. Our bodies are most affected by our environment, so what we consume, and environments to which we expose ourselves, can have a huge impact on us.  The smallest changes in behavior can even affect generations to come. This is one of the ideas explained by evolution-development, a new field of science that explains the advancement of organisms and effects on future generations. 

 

Jamie Langenhan ; Olumayowa Dayo
jll258atcornell.edu ; omd6atcornell.edu
last updated 20 July 2008