I'm Asian and I avoid drinking milk because I will face a day of passing smelly gas frequently, which would make me quite unpopular, or worse with loose bowels. I diagnosed myself being lactose intolerant, the symptoms being quite clear and tested just how much dairy I could have before symptoms were bad enough. I was born in America, but my parents weren't, so I believe it's a hereditary thing.

I see some anime characters, Japanese ones, chugging it. I know some Asians aren't lactose intolerant... I used to eat cereal very frequently even not for breakfast. It wasn't until High School that I noticed the connection between milk and farting. I looked it up and later discovered the stereotype about large majority of Asians being lactose intolerant due to the lack of land to breed cows for milk.

Out of curiosity, I want to know how accurate the stereotype is. Do Japanese/Asians really do have a fair amount of dairy in their diets?


Edit:

Info I found shows that certain ethnic groups are much more likely to become lactose intolerate which includes Africans, Native Americans, groups originating the Mediterranean (ie. Jews), along with Asians, up to 90% of which are reported to be lactose intolerant. People normally aren't born lactose intolerate, but it happens when they mature sufficiently. The gland the produces lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose, is needed for mother's milk in mammals and is "on" when you are born. Later in life, it may slowly "shut off" when it's no longer needed.

Primary symptoms are:

* Abdominal bloating/cramps
* Diarrhea - which leads to dehydration, nausea, weight loss
* Gas (flatulence) - smelly ones

1 cup of cow's milk is enough to trigger symptoms in lactose intolerant adults, but fermented and process dairy products such as yogurt, ice cream, and cheese are more tolerable.

Link to one of the sites that support the stereotype:
http://www.giantrobot.com/issues/issue17/milk/milk.html

Well Im Not Japanese,
But I Hate Milk,
I Can't Stand The Stuff.

Milk is amazing. I have more than enough milk in my diet, but that's alright with me... ahh, I love you, milk.

TMI

I'm an Asian but i don't drink milk that frequently. I drink plain water more than any other drink LOL

males are more likely to become lactose intolerant as they get older.

I'm 85% asian lol, my life was depends on milk until I was abt 8 yrs old cuz I just couldn't eat proper food such as rice, noddles, potatoes, etc etc back then, so I only drink milk or eat anything with milk in it . And continues to drink milk "religiously" until today...well, I love milk...it helps me to live my life lol...

im half Japanese and i RARELY drink milk, but i love yogurt, cheese, calpis(lol), and other similar stuff...

There are Japanese people who hate milk, but they do get some calcium, vitamin d, and other minerals from rice, seafood, and variety of other foods....

im 1/3 viet 1/3 japanese and 1/3 spanish but milk is the best in the world ^^ us asians need more milk

Milk is amazing. Especially chocolate milk. <3

It's not just Asians that have trouble digesting cow's milk, but Native Americans as well. I'm part Native American (aside from a handful of other ethnicities) and I haven't shown signs of lactose intolerance, but my brother and mother do and they get around it by drinking lactose free milk.

i love milk. ;]~
DRINK IT 3 TIMES A DAY. :p
i love all dairy products. (cept maybe cheese)

im like 1/3 asian but i drink milk every day ._. (with cereal at least)

I'm Asian, and I drink 3 glasses of milk every day. I love milk!

I don't know what part of Asia you're from, but for me, I never knew Asians could be lactose intolerent. See picture above.