BMC Evolutionary Biology 2010, 10:89 doi:10.1186/1471-2148-10-89
High frequency of lactose intolerance in a prehistoric hunter-
gatherer population in northern Europe Helena Malmstrom et al.
Genes and culture are believed to interact, but it has been
difficult to find direct evidence for the process. One candidate
example that has been put forward is lactase persistence in
adulthood, i.e. the ability to continue digesting the milk sugar
lactose after childhood, facilitating the consumption of raw
milk. This genetic trait is believed to have evolved within a
short time period and to be related with the emergence of
sedentary agriculture. Here we investigate the frequency of an
allele (-13910*T) associated with lactase persistence in a
Neolithic Scandinavian population. From the 14 individuals
originally examined, 10 yielded reliable results. We find that
the T allele frequency was very low (5%) in this Middle
Neolithic hunter-gatherer population, and that the frequency is
dramatically different from the extant