Eurasian marker
rs4988235 is the best-known functional enhancer marker across much of Europe and parts of Central and South Asia. One persistence allele is usually sufficient.
Free calculator · digestion genetics
Lactase persistence calculator from raw DNA.
Check the common Eurasian lactase-persistence enhancer plus functional variants documented in African and West Asian populations.
Does a DNA result prove lactose intolerance?
No. Genetics can indicate whether lactase production is likely to persist into adulthood, but lactose intolerance is a symptom phenotype affected by dose, gut health, microbiome, and adaptation. This calculator checks rs4988235, its European proxy, and four population-specific functional enhancer variants.
Global variant coverage
The population-associated variants in this panel
These are five distinct functional enhancer alleles. The geographic labels describe where each allele has been best documented—not who can carry it.
| Published allele | Marker | Geographic association |
|---|---|---|
| −13910*T | rs4988235 | Europe; also Central and South Asia |
| −13915*G | rs41380347 | Arabian Peninsula and West Asia; also parts of East Africa |
| −13907*G | rs41525747 | East Africa and parts of the Middle East |
| −14009*G | rs869051967 | Especially Ethiopia and nearby East African populations |
| −14010*C | rs145946881 | East African pastoralist populations, notably in Kenya and Tanzania |
The literature notation above may be the reverse complement of a provider's raw-file allele. The panel also reports rs182549 (−22018*A) as a European-linked proxy, not as a sixth independent functional enhancer. These variants are not ancestry or ethnicity tests.
Run the lactase persistence check
Choose the unmodified raw export from your provider. Only the listed marker calls are interpreted.
Supports 23andMe, AncestryDNA, FTDNA, MyHeritage, and Living DNA autosomal exports.
Drop your raw DNA file here
or.txt, .csv, .tsv, .zip, .gz · 30 MB max
What this calculator does—and does not do.
Adult lactase persistence is found in several pastoralist populations, each associated with a different variant. This panel checks all of them rather than the European variant alone.
African and West Asian variants
The panel also checks rs41525747, rs41380347, rs869051967, and rs145946881, which sit on different haplotypes.
Symptoms are separate
Lactase activity, lactose malabsorption, and experienced intolerance are related but not interchangeable outcomes.
Limitations
Where the model stops.
- Commercial arrays may omit rare population-specific variants; a missing row is not a negative genotype.
- Secondary lactase deficiency can arise from gastrointestinal illness regardless of inherited persistence.
- A breath test or clinical evaluation is more relevant when symptoms matter.
Primary evidence
Research behind the panel.
- Original Eurasian associationEnattah et al., Nature Genetics (2002)
- Worldwide functional variantsLiebert et al., Human Genetics (2017)
- Global enhancer reviewSégurel et al., Human Molecular Genetics (2021)
Frequently asked.
What does rs4988235 test?
It tags a regulatory change upstream of LCT. In the raw-file orientation used here, A is equivalent to the commonly published −13910*T persistence allele.
Why are there six markers?
Lactase persistence is not tied to a single variant. Four additional functional variants improve coverage for parts of Africa and West Asia, while rs182549 is shown only as a supporting proxy.
Can I still tolerate dairy with a non-persistence profile?
Yes. Many people tolerate modest lactose amounts or fermented dairy, and symptoms depend on more than genotype.
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