Are humans the only species who drink milk as adults?

Question

I was drinking a glass of milk the other day and that got me thinking that no other animal to my knowledge drinks milk past their infant stages. One could argue that cats might but it isn't good for them to do.**Are humans the only animal that are able to drink milk as adults and not have it cause issues?**Of course, I know some people do have lactose intolerance too.

Answer 1

Firstly, we're talking about species of mammals only, not just any species. Mammalian mothers suckle their young until they are "weened off" the breast. Thereafter, the offspring do not drink milk.

Secondly, we humans are not just drinking any milk, we're drinking cow's milk - that is, milk produced by lactating cows for the purpose of feeding their calves. (Picture a person under a cow with an udder in their mouth - that's what we're doing.) How did it come to this? That's a research project for another time.

There is plenty of health advice telling you not to consume dairy products. The milk protein casein has been linked to cancer in vitro. Alternatives are soy milk and almond milk.