Why did 40% of the human population evolve to tolerate lactose? (1 point)

• Babies rely on milk to survive, so they need to be able to tolerate lactose.
• People who have an intolerance experience physical pain, so a tolerance evolved to avoid that.
Lactose tolerance allows people to enjoy a wide variety of food, including milk, butter, ice cream, and cheese.
Within cultures that rely on milk-producing animals, individuals who tolerated lactose had a survival advantage.

1 answer

The correct answer is: Within cultures that rely on milk-producing animals, individuals who tolerated lactose had a survival advantage.

Lactose tolerance evolved in some human populations as a beneficial trait for those who depended on dairy as a significant food source, allowing them to access nutrition from milk without the adverse effects of lactose intolerance.