Lactose intolerance is actually the human norm – but racism, the US government and business interests have made it into a condition

Many people get bloated or have diarrhea after drinking milk and think something is wrong with them. But the truth is: nearly two-thirds of the world's population is lactose intolerant. It's not a disease — it's the human norm.

So how did it become a "condition"? The concept was invented, not discovered.

1. A Cold War invention

After WWII, American dairy producers had a milk surplus. The government bought it and embedded it in school lunches, and sold it to allies like Japan and Taiwan. Suddenly, people who rarely drank milk were consuming it daily and felt sick.

Scientists tested Black and white prisoners in Baltimore and found Black inmates had lower lactase levels. They wrongly concluded that lactose tolerance was the norm and intolerance was a genetic defect.

2. White diets as the standard

This is "nutritional imperialism": treating white diets as normal and others as aberrations. Asian flush (alcohol intolerance) was also labeled a deficiency, not just human variety.

3. How the bias persists

Today, white supremacists use lactose intolerance to reinforce racial hierarchy, and the idea that dairy is essential for health persists despite most of the world's population being intolerant.

So, drink milk if you like it, skip it if you don't. Your body is fine either way.