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Lactose Intolerance? 2006/4/3 07:36
I am considering trying to adopt a child from Japan. The problem I have run into, however, does not deal with the process of adoption, but rather a food allergy. I recently learned that 90 to 95 percent of Asians are lactose intolerant. I would highly prefer a child of mine to not have to deal with an allergy of such magnitude, especially an allergy to lactose, since I am a big milk-drinker myself. I know not all Japanese people are lactose intolerant; my aunt and cousin are Japanese and they can drink milk with no problems. However, the international adoption process is already taxing, and I don't want it to become as difficult to find a suitable child in Japan as to find a needle in a haystack. Should I abandon my restriction on adopting a lactose-intolerant child, pursue the search of a child exempt from the general Asian intolerance, or consider adopting from a different country?
by Suikachune  

.. 2006/4/3 13:50
90 to 95 percent of Asians are lactose intolerant

Just curious where you got this bit of information.

Being Asian myself, I would highly disagree with that statement.
by .. rate this post as useful

.. 2006/4/3 14:02
Sorry for my last comment I have done my research more. Though it seems to affect a lot of other countries as well.

pursue the search of a child exempt from the general Asian intolerance, or consider adopting from a different country?

Its not just an asian intolerance, 75-90% of Africans suffer from the same intolerance, 100% of native american (indian) also suffer from the intolerance.

Honestly speaking its a personal decision here for YOU to make. Is being Lactose intolerance a MAJOR issue that will bother you then maybe you should look somewhere else. From my research in readhing your post it isn't a major debilitating condition that requires expensive medical treatment, in fact if 90% of the population can live just fine with it, I have no doubts that if you did have a child with the intolerance they can live a pretty normal life. But its your call.
by .. rate this post as useful

Soy milk 2006/4/3 14:14
If i may...
the problem is not that Asians (or any other group) are lactose intolerant per se. However, there is a problem with the milk supply in the U.S.
Case in point, I am a heavy milk drinker. And I travel a great deal,too. When I was living in the U.S. I had trouble drinking milk, unless it was lactose free or soy milk. However, when I visited Japan, I drank a glass of milk with no problem. So i decided to go further. I drank more and no problem at all. But when i went back to the US and drank regular US milk, I had a serious case of diahrea. Furthermore, I have been to Europe and did similar tests with same result. Now here is the bonus, two months ago i had a caffe latte at Starbucks, few minutes later, I had the serious stomach pain. I suspected that it was the milk in it. So i went back and had different drink with milk but I still felt sick. Then discovered they were using U.S. milk.
NOTE: this is not an anti-US bash, but people must be awarene about this matter.
Solution to mom living in the U.S.- give the child soy milk, it is healthier anyway.
Please forgive me for the long thread....
by In rate this post as useful

some info 2006/4/3 14:49
Chicken eggs, cow milk and soy used to be the top 3 allergens in Japan for more than a decade until quite recently.

At the same time, I understand that quite as much of say U.S. citizens are lactose intolerant.

Humans can have simple patch tests in hospitals to see if they are allergic to certain foods or materials.

Parents who have babies naturally out of adoption don't have a clue about whether or not the child would have allergy or not. But they would love them and care for them anyway.

I, my husband and my child are all Japanese but we all are not allergic to milk, although my child is the only person among his Japanese friends who is allergic to eggs.

So we never kept eggs around the house for two years, even though my husband and I can hardly live without them, and this eventually built up our parenthood.

This is all the information I can give you as far as this issue is concerned.
by Uco rate this post as useful

It is not allergy 2006/4/3 17:46
I'd like to suggest you to learn a little more about lactose intolerant first - it is NOT allergy to lactose.

Also the figure you've got (90 to 95 percent of Asians) is the result of research in the US i.e. 90-95 of Asians in the US. As for Asians in general, it is said that approx. 70 percent is lactose intorelant, but it does not mean everyone with lactose intorelance cannot digest milk.
There are wide range of degree with this 'indigestion of milk', and most people do not realise it.

Another thing I'd like to point out is the fact that in Japan, milk is served at lunchtime in most schools - if we do have so much problem, milk would not be served like that.
by . rate this post as useful

Lactose Intolerance not a big deal 2006/5/18 06:02
Hello, I've been researching lactose intolerance and happened to come across your question. The fact is that lactose intolerance is not an allergy. Lactose (milk sugar) is broken down by the enzyme lactase which is produced by infants and babies. The majority of humans produce less and less lactase as they get older and thus become lactose intolerant. However, the majority of people of Western European descent, as well as some other ethnic groups, continue to produce lactase enzyme through adulthood, allowing them to continue drinking milk. The bottom line is, if you are adopting a baby, he/she will have no problem drinking milk. And there are alternatives to dairy-based foods widely available.
by Justin Nowlin rate this post as useful

Babies ARE lactose intolerant 2006/6/20 23:08
Please heed the advice of the adoption agency!
I am caucasian, and my wife is FROM Japan, therefore, our daughter is called a "happa" baby.
We had a terrible time with our daughter having cholic which became very uncomfortable for her, and a lot of sleepless nights for us.
The bottom line is that many asian babies ARE lactose intolerant, therefore, put them on a soy bean based formula.
Incidently, my wife is lactose intolerant, and there is milk she buys that is made for lactose intolerant people.
The people who disagree with you and the adoption agency are missing the point, or your point was not stated well.
Don't be a knuckle head and think you are smarter than anyone else in this matter because you are not.
Just feed the baby a soy bean based formula and everyone will be happy.
Good luck!
by JG rate this post as useful

allergy or intolerence? 2006/6/21 00:25
First off, I am a white european, and I AM INTOLERANT to DAIRY. I am not allergic. I also know of other europeans who are dairy intolerant, too.

I think the statement in your first post is a little strange, and would like to know where you got that from.

A **lot** of people in the world (I don' know exact statistics) are intolerant to a lot of things, that may be dairy, sugar, wheat etc etc. But intolerence varies from person to person. My dairy intolerance means that I just cut down on milk, cream, cheese etc, but I don't cut it out completely. I still can eat a biscuits and snacks with a little lactose in them.

Allergy is different. That means even the smallest amount makes the sufferer sick. So check which you mean first. But again it is simple to avoid as long as precautions are taken.

Lactose intolerence is easy to live with- whether you just buy different products (soy milk, rice milk etc, or goats cheese and porducts similar to that (it has less lactose than cow milk) or simply cut down and have addtional supplements like me.

Anyway, if you were to have a child by natural means, and it had an allergy to a food/material/perfume etc. You would not disown it!

Hope that helps anyway!
by Kate rate this post as useful

Lactose-free products 2006/7/11 05:01
I think that the general awareness of people towards lactose intolerance has lead to the creation of various lactose-free products (milk, butter, youghurt) of different brands, even in not very developed countries, and I think that in the future, the variety will only grow.

My point is this: having several kinds of milk at home is not hard, or unusual. When your kids grow, some will need it lactose-free, some will like it skim, etc. You'll end up having several boxes of milk in the fridge, anyway.

I talk from experience; everyone but me at home are lactose-intolerant. :) I am also a great milk lover, so I just buy different milk for different people. We manage!

I don't think this should affect your decision in any way.

Good luck!
by Claudia rate this post as useful

... 2006/7/12 02:02
What exactly are the symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?

I mean, whenever I drink milk or milk based products such as coffee (excluding milk chocolate ^_^), I tend to think that my stomach becomes slightly bloated and sometimes it makes a funny noise in the intestines.

Having said that, I've never officialy diagnosed myself as lactose intolerant nor do I think it is actually intolerable just because I had a small reaction?

Is that what most people encounter or am I just too mild a case to be classified in this group?
by Rouge rate this post as useful

Lactose Intolerance 2006/7/12 08:11
Isuppose that exhibiting mild stomach cramps is a sign of lactose intolerance, but from speaking to people who have moderate to severe reactions to milk, they say that they feel more bloated and nauseous and generally have stinking, wet farts.

For more sever cases, it translates to stomach pain and cramps and diarrhea.
by Grand Trine rate this post as useful

Inconsequential 2006/7/30 09:25
If something like lactose intolerance is that much of an issue for you in your pursuit of parenthood, you are not ready. You are not buying a product, you are adopting a child. A wonderful, IMPERFECT, little human being. It's not like you'd get a choice of lactose intolerant vs. non-lactose intolerant with a biological child and it's not like it is a big deal to be lactose intolerant. You should rethink your plans about adoption if something like this would disuade you from a child.
by Adoptive Mom rate this post as useful

Japan/ Lactose 2006/9/9 02:28
heres a stange one. I loved milk before living in Japan, and also drank milk while living there. Now two friends and I all have problems with milk. It gives us diahrrea drinking it now. First I thought it was just me but three people, still a coincidence?
by TRAVELLER rate this post as useful

Adoption etc. 2006/9/14 02:40
I agree with the poster who said you are not ready for adoption or parenthood.

Speaking as a father, I can tell you that the notion that you can control what kind of child you have is both naive and dangerous. Babies are born into this world with personalities and traits you cannot know beforehand, and their lives will present you with challenges you could not have imagined. Your children are people who will make their won decisions, often not the decisions you would have made.

From the sounds of your post, you want to know in advance what your child will be like and you want it to be easy. I can tell you flat out that you will not know what your child will be like, and that having things be easy isn't what being a parent is about.

It also sounds like you either want your child to be like you (you drink milk, so your child should) or at least not interfere with your lifestyle. Here's the punchline: Your child won't be like you and having a child will interfere with your lifestyle.

Lactose intolerance is a trivial issue. There are going to be way more important and way tougher issues for you to handle as a parent, regardless of whether or not your child can drink a glass of milk.
by welshrabbit rate this post as useful

Lactose intolerance 2007/9/14 01:22
This is some information I found to be very helpful and informative
http://www.watchtower.org/e/20040322b/article_01.htm
by carebear rate this post as useful

Lactose Intolerant pretty common 2008/9/11 09:01
Hi, that statistic about 90% of Asian Americans are lactose intolerant is a varying degree and you must consider the "Asian" population includes numerous Asian backgrounds. I'm Chinese but am not lactose intolerent, but like 2 out of 4 of my Japanese friend are, so that is pretty common. They get sore stomachs if they eat too much dairy products and I feel there pain after they eat ice cream or fettuccine alfredo. Also, for everyone including non-Asians, read the book "The China Study" by T. Colin Campbell, it touches on nutrition and the study of protein, one being milk protein (casein). This book is about a farm raised American man that grew up eating dairy products and how later down his career, he discovers startling research on protein (also casein- milk protein). We are the only species in the world that drinks milk from another animal. Step back and think about that and understand why so many people, especially generations of Asian populations that don't drink milk until being exposed to American culture, and then get sick from it. P.S. solution?? Soy milk!! I love soy milk, its why healthier too!
by Cat rate this post as useful

It's not a problem... 2008/9/11 12:59
I believe I am lactose intolerant. But it's probably one of the least troublesome problems I can think of first of all, I don't really like milk so I don't drink it. Secondly, only milk seems to affect me. Cheese, and other dairy products are fine. And last of all, even if I drink a glass of milk (which I hate), the worst case is I'll fart in your general direction. It's not like I am going to shrivel up and die....

But if you want to talk about Asian alcohol intolerance.... this is a problem...
by Aki rate this post as useful

Lactose Intolerance? 2008/11/3 14:59
Lactose Intolerance isn't an allergy to milk. You just acn't digest the lactose that's IN the milk. (I have bad lactose intolerance, stomach cramps, vomiting, etc.) Couldn't you just buy maybe soy or lactose-free milk? Or what about juice? I don't get what the big problem is...
by A Noelle rate this post as useful

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