A Case Study of Human Adult Lactose Absorption in Mongolia

Abstract

Human adult lactose absorption in Mongolia is investigated. Each test subject was determined to be a lactose absorber or a malabsorber by the use of a field version of the lactose tolerance test with breath hydrogen determination. The phenotypic frequency of adult lactose absorber in Mongolians was shown to be relatively low compared to other milk using populations in Europe, Arabia and Africa. The frequency was also compared with those of two Chinese populations, Han and Inner Mongolians, where no statistically significant difference was found.