Which cultures do not consume significant quantities of milk or dairy products?
General Reference (not clearly pro or con)
Thijs R. Klompmaker, a Dutch author, reported in his 2000 article "Excessive Calcium Causes Osteoporosis" published on his website:
"In
Venezuela and Chile much less milk is consumed than in the U.S. [254
kilograms/year per capita], Finland, Sweden, and Switzerland... Chinese
consume very little milk (8 kg/year)...
Other
countries where very little milk is consumed, on the average, [are]
Congo, Guinea, and Togo (6 kg/year)... In the Democratic Republic of
Congo, Liberia, Ghana, Laos and Cambodia even less milk is consumed
(average per capita is 1 to 3 kg a year!!)."
Bernie Thimian, a spokesperson for the Toronto Vegetarian Association, explained in her 2003 article "16 Reasons Why People Avoid Dairy Products" accessed on www.nomilk.com:
"Until
refrigeration came along, the vast majority of humans and animals on
the planet consumed little or no milk products. Most Asians (more than
1 billion), most Africans (almost a billion), and many other cultures
around the world still consume no dairy products."
Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, stated in the article "Boning Up on Calcium and Osteoporosis" (accessed Apr. 20, 2007):
"Some African cultures consume no dairy
products and typically get only 175 to 475 milligrams of calcium per
day (800 mg is the U.S. Recommended Daily Allowance)."
