◊ By Gajendra Singh Yadav
(Read livestock geneticist, Dr D K Sadana’s response here.)
Visit ORGANIC SHOP by Pure & Eco India
“Are you lactose intolerant? Do you have problems digesting milk? If yes, drink A2 milk.”
This shrill refrain of some A2 milk companies is put to devious use in their slick, if misleading, marketing campaigns. In fact, this whole A2 milk-is-better-than-A1 milk charade is the invention of certain promoters of A2 milk, with the agenda to showcase their products in preferential light.
It is laughable that 90% of the people selling A2 milk in India don’t own even a single cow and those who do own but a smattering of cattle, use them as props for their marketing endeavours. In reality, they purchase milk from small scale dairy farmers and sell it to consumers at a premium under the ‘A2 milk’ tag.
“The lie that A1 milk causes cardiovascular disease, type 1 diabetes, SIDS, autism, and digestive discomfort, has been rubbished by the European Food Safety Authority in their scientific report in 2009.”
BUSTING MYTHS ABOUT A1 MILK
For the enlightenment of consumers, I would like to bust a few of the untruths detractors of A1 milk have been spreading in the name of health and nutrition.
MYTH 1: A1 milk causes cardiovascular disease, type 1 diabetes, sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), autism, digestive discomfort, etc.
No it doesn’t!
The 2009 scientific report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), Review of the Potential Health Impact of β-casomorphins and Related Peptides, shattered this myth to pieces with its recommendation: “Based on the present review of available scientific literature, a cause-effect relationship between the oral intake of BCM7 or related peptides and aetiology or course of any suggested non-communicable diseases cannot be established. Consequently, an EFSA risk assessment of food-derived peptides is not recommended.”
Therefore, it is very surprising that such canards still abound.
MYTH 2: A2 milk is better for lactose intolerant people.
Consumers must note that lactose is present in both A1 milk and A2 milk so shifting to A2 milk will not “cure” your lactose intolerance.
MYTH 3: Only desi cow breeds produce A2 milk.
This myth is probably being promulgated by supporters of indigenous livestock, which is a noble cause on its own. However, this is a falsity. If this is true, then how come places like the UK, USA, Australia, New Zealand and Europe have millions of certified A2 milk cows?
The A1 or A2 milk protein is not related to the breed or appearance of the cow, but to the DNA of each single cow, notwithstanding breed. A cow with the A1A1 gene produces pure A1 milk, whereas one with the A2A2 gene produces pure A2 milk. Those with A1A2 genes give milk that contains a mix of the two milk varieties.
*In 2012, the National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources (NBAGR) screened 180 bulls (51 Holstein Friesian, 40 Jersey and 89 crossbred) from different regions of India. The study found that the A1A2 gene was most common in Holstein Friesian and Jersey cows, whereas the A2A2 gene was found in higher frequency in the crossbreds.
Of the 89 crossbred bulls screened, 45 had the A2A2 gene, whereas 35 had the A1A2 gene. Only 9 had the A1 gene, which renders purely A1 milk.
Therefore, to claim that only desi cows give A2 milk is not just jabberwocky but it is also deceitful—not that there is anything wrong with A1 milk at all.
MYTH 4: All cows, except desi cows, are imported.
The government of India never imported cows— it imported HF and Jersey bulls, and these bulls were bred with Indian desi cows to create Holstein Friesian-derived or Jersey-derived crossbreeds. Hence, these crossbreeds are technically of part Indian descent.
*Sodhi, Monika & Mukesh, Manishi & Mishra, Bishnu & Kishore, Amit & Prakash, B & Kapil, R & Khate, Keviletsu & Kataria, Ranjit & K. Joshi, B. (2012). Screening of Taurine and Crossbred Breeding Bulls for A1/A2 Variants of β-casein Gene. The Indian Journal of Animal Sciences.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
The author is founder of Delhi-based 4S Milk, which sells unadulterated milk of crossbred cows.
Other countries also have a2 milk because they have taken the genes of indian cows and did cross breeding. many indian breeds mostly gir and ongole bulls have been exported a lot even before independence. best example brahman bull breed in america.
The Author has put the wrong and misleading information of A2 Milk.
Most of what you have written is false.
You are biased because you are a cross-bred dairy produce seller whose products will be high in A1 protien.
Also A1 protien comes from European and American breeds so by quoting the claims of European Health Board you are doing no good as they’ll be biased to promote their dairy sales.
The rising lactose intolerance in the west is a result of A1 protien effect of stomach pain and GI tract symptoms.
The vegetarian diet followed in India cannot be followed to the same extent in the West because of this very reason.