A2 Milk

[DianaCox]

I saw an ad for this milk on TV tonight - here is a link to information about it. Note that it is funded by the A2 company. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318577.php

Bottom line - Historically, most dairy cows used to have the A2 form of casein protein. Commercial dairy production cows make A1 form, which when digested breaks down to a protein which may be the source of the gastric distress associated with dairy in some people. The A2 milk is all A2 form.

When A1 protein is digested in the small intestine, it produces a peptide called beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7). The intestines absorb BCM-7, and it then passes into the blood. Doctors have linked BCM-7 to stomach discomfort and symptoms similar to those experienced by people with lactose intolerance.

The structure of A2 protein is more comparable to human breast milk, as well as milk from goats, sheep, and buffalo.​

 

[hilary1617]

Interesting. Worth a try!

 

[southernlady]

I wonder if that’s a reason why I can handle raw milk. The small dairy herds aren’t commercial based.

 

[Munchkin]

Interesting! Wonder if it will really prove to be OK for those who are LI.

 

[DianaCox]

The point is that people who THINK they are lactose intolerant may in fact be A1 intolerant, which is completely different.

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

I think I recently saw this when I was in "the big" store. What I wasn't able to find in the article was what makes a cow 1 or a 2. Is it strictly a genetic luck of the draw or are there factors that affect it? Type of food ingested, etc? Next time I see it I'm going to try it, if I can afford it .

 

[DianaCox]

My understanding is that it is genetic. For some reason (probably having nothing to do with intentional selection for the A1 vs A2 gene variants), most commercial herds - which are highly inbred - carry the A1 variant, perhaps because a trait or traits the dairy farmers WERE selecting for was genetically linked to the A1 variant, perhaps due to being genetically co-located on the same chromosome with genes for a favored breed like Holstein vs. Jersey cows, or genes for high milk production.

 

[DianaCox]

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5641661/

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5657040/

https://nutritionj.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12937-016-0147-z

 

[Susan in Tennessee]

My understanding is that it is genetic. For some reason (probably having nothing to do with intentional selection for the A1 vs A2 gene variants), most commercial herds -do which are highly inbred - carry the A1 variant, perhaps because a trait or traits the dairy farmers WERE selecting for was genetically linked to the A1 variant, perhaps due to being genetically co-located on the same chromosome with genes for a favored breed like Holstein vs. Jersey cows, or genes for high milk production.

Thanks DianaCox! I knew you'd be able to help me out.

 

[Duckman]

Interesting. I grew up with a lot of goat's milk and didn't have problems. Dairy, especially post op, is uh messy and gross and stuff