|
 Have you heard of A2 Milk? Should you consider drinking it?
What is A2 Milk?
A2 Milk is just like other milk except it is produced to contain a maximum amount of the ‘A2’ protein.
Thus A2 Milk is simply the milk from cows with a particular genetic makeup, which is the original genetic makeup of cows milked for many centuries.
A2 Milk is a totally natural product. A proportion of cows naturally produce milk that contains only the A2 type of beta-casein.
Research indicates that originally all cows produced milk containing only the A2 type of beta-casein, but at some point in history, owing to natural genetic mutation, a variant of the A2 gene and its associated protein appeared.
Termed the A1 variant, it differed very slightly in composition from the original A2 beta-casein and has since given rise to a number of minor related sub-variants, such as those termed B and C.
 What breeds of dairy cattle produce the highest amounts of the A2 protein?
Generally it is accepted that the Guernsey breed of cattle have the highest frequency of the A2 gene, and thus Guernsey herds produce milk with high levels of A2 beta casein. Jersey cows also produce milk containing high levels of A2. Holstein and Friesian breeds carry the A1 and A2 genes in roughly equal proportions.
What’s the difference between ‘A1’ and ‘A2’ milk?
The name comes from the type of protein in the milk. Milk from cows, and any other milk producing animal, can vary quite a lot in the types and amounts of proteins they contain.
Cow’s milk contains six major proteins. Four are casein proteins, the other two are whey proteins. Casein proteins make up about 80 percent of the protein in cow’s milk. A type of casein called beta-casein is one of the major ones, and is itself of different kinds, depending on the genetic make-up of the cow. The most common are beta-casein A1 and beta-casein A2. Milk high in beta-casein A1 is being referred to as ‘A1 milk’ while milk high in beta-casein A2 is being called ‘A2 milk’.
WHAT IS THE ISSUE?
Research recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has suggested there is a possible link between milk protein consumption and heart disease and insulin-dependent diabetes.
Researchers Dr Murray Laugeson and Professor Emeritus Bob Elliott collected data from various sources from 20 wealthy countries and reported a significant correlation between the amount of A1 beta-casein consumed in a country and the national rate of coronary heart disease.
They also found a similar correlation between A1 beta-casein consumption and the rate of childhood type 1 diabetes.
Why not try it for yourself?
My family has decided that they prefer to drink A2 milk since the evidence about its benefits is mounting and the taste is no different to "ordinary" milk. It is a little more expensive, but why don't you try it and see how you like it.
I will keep my eyes and ears open for more research data and let you know if things should change.
By the way, I don't benefit in any way from recommending A2 milk.
|
