A major fraction of individuals can’t deal with lactose, like [HGModernism]. Fairly than settle for a merciless, ice cream free existence, she determined to do one thing you actually shouldn’t attempt: biohacking her solution to lactose tolerance.
The hack may be very easy, and based mostly on a peer reviewed examine from the Nineties: eat lactose consistently, and undergo consistently, till… effectively, you may tolerate lactose. If you happen to’re lactose illiberal, you’re in all probability horrified on the implications of the phrases “undergo consistently” in a means that these milk-digesting-weirdos might by no means perceive. They in all probability assume it’s hyperbole; it isn’t. On the plus aspect, [HGModernism]’s signs started to say no after just one week.
The examine dates again to the Eighties, and discusses a curious phenomenon the place American powdered milk was cluelessly distributed throughout an African famine. Initially that did extra hurt than good, however after a couple of weeks mainlining the white stuff, the lactose-intolerant Africans stopped bellyaching about their bellyaches.
People all begin out with a working lactase gene for the sake of breastfeeding, however in most it turns off naturally in childhood. It’s speculated that slightly than some epigenetic change turning the gene for lactose tolerance again on — which in all probability will not be attainable exterior precise genetic engineering — the intestine biome of the affected people shifted to digest lactose painlessly on behalf of the human hosts. [HGModernism] discovered this labored nevertheless it took two weeks of chugging a slurry of powdered milk and electrolyte, formulated to keep away from dehydration as a result of apparent supply of fluid loss. After the 2 weeks, lactose tolerance was achieved.
Do you have to do this? Virtually definitely not. [HGModernism] doesn’t advocate it, and neither can we. Nonetheless, we respect the heck out any human prepared to hack the way in which out of the constraints of their very own genetics. Talking of, no less than one hacker did attempt genetically engineering themselves to skip the struggling concerned on this course of. Gene hacking isn’t only for ice-cream sundaes; when utilized by actual medical professionals, it will probably save lives.
Due to [Kieth Olson] for the tip!
