Lactose Priviledge

For John, BLUF:  The "payoff" is in the very short article.  Nothing to see here; just move along.

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Forget "White Priviledge", the key factor may be "Lactose Priviledge".  Well, if you believe Justin Cook of the University of California, Merced. "No use crying:  The ability to digest milk may explain how Europe got rich".  From The Economist.  Here is the lede.

HUMANS can digest lactose, the main carbohydrate in milk, only with the help of an enzyme called lactase.  But two-thirds of people stop producing it after they have been weaned.  The lucky third—those with “lactase persistence”—continue to produce it into adulthood.  A recent paper* argues that this genetic quirk helps explain why some countries are rich and others poor.

Hat tip to the InstaPundit.

Regards  —  Cliff

* “The role of lactase persistence in pre-colonial development”, by C. Justin Cook, Journal of Economic Growth, December 2014.