A2 milk is no longer widely available in the UK. You can find information on UK independent suppliers at the end of this article.
Note: I am not medically qualified, nor am I an expert in allergies and everything you read below is based on personal experience only.
If you think you or a family member has an allergy to dairy products or anything else you should talk to a medical practitioner.
There are many myths and misapprehensions about allergies and intolerances, so please make sure you get all the facts before doing anything that could damage your health.
I have an allergic reaction if I ingest any cow’s milk product. I’ve had it all my life but I am one of the lucky ones because it’s not life-threatening.
I am also lucky to have a very good GP who understands allergies and is supportive of me as I manage my own health.
Despite a severe reaction to any cows’ milk product, I have never had any problem with sheep, buffalo or goat milk. Until recently I thought it was just a weird anomaly of mine – definitely not allergic to lactose (the sugar in milk) but to something else in cow’s milk – probably a protein. Not so much a diagnosis, more a working hypothesis.
So for years I have given all cow’s milk products the go-by, existing quite happily on goat and sheep cheese (which I just love) and thanking Alpro every day for its great range of soya-based milks, creams and yoghurts.
Then I heard about A2 milk – and the theory behind it – and wondered if perhaps there was something here for me.
Okay here’s another disclaimer.
I love science but am not a scientist
I’m fascinated by the whole process of coming up with an idea, checking to see if it fits the facts, testing it until it becomes a theory, then, if it still fits all the available known facts declaring it’s true – up to the point that someone else comes up with more facts/a better idea/more evidence that disproves the original fact. And so it goes on.
The statement often made in the media that “scientists got it wrong” is to misunderstand the whole point of science which is to go about proving things wrong.
So I admit that I was a bit sceptical about A2 milk and how it might be possible to avoid the type of protein that triggers my reaction, but was definitely willing to find out more.
Protein in milk
There are many different types of proteins in milk – the major one is beta casein, which has two main types: A1 and A2. The difference between A1 and A2 proteins is quite small, and they are only found in the curds (milk solids) that make up just 30% of the protein content in milk.
A1 beta-casein is a major variant in the milk of the common dairy cows of north European origin: Friesian, Ayrshire, British Shorthorn, and Holstein.
Predominantly (but not exclusively) A2 beta-casein is found in the milk of Channel Island cows, Guernsey and Jersey, in Southern French breeds, Charolais and Limousin, Indian native dairy cow, buffalo and in the Zebu original cattle of Africa.
Human milk, as well as that from goats and sheep, is free of A1 beta-casein.
So might that explain why I can’t drink cow’s milk, but can tolerate buffalo, sheep and goat?
For several years now, it has been possible to buy milk which comes from cows which only produce milk with the A2 protein.
Putting A2 milk to the test
I was offered a money off voucher from a UK based company which does this – the a2 Milk Company. I’ll be honest with you, I put it off for several weeks, knowing that if this was based on a fallacy, and it was simply marketing hype, I was in for a pretty rough few days, but eventually I bought some to give it a go.
I picked my time, poured half a glass, stared at it for a few minutes then swallowed it down, like it was medicine. I know, that’s not how “normal” people drink milk, but that’s what it felt like!
I waited – usually the first signs of discomfort appear within minutes. Nothing happened.
Half an hour later, still no pain, no temperature, no nausea, no aches. No reaction.
But anyone who suffers with allergies knows that reactions can be delayed, and may also be dose related. So later that day I consumed a rich and creamy macaroni cheese (with goat cheese but A2 cow’s milk) and a couple of days after that had some A2 milk on cereal.
No reaction – nothing, nada, zip, zero, zilch.
I couldn’t quite believe it – so decided to find out a bit more to see if the science backed up my experience.
What is A2 Milk?
According to the UK-based a2 Milk Company, originally all cows had just the A2 protein but over the years A1 has become the dominant one in European and UK herds – most herds produce around 70% A1 protein milk and 30% A2.
A2 milk, produced from cows who only produce milk without the A1 version of the protein, has been around in New Zealand and Australia for several years but has only recently been marketed in the US and UK.
In the UK, the company has farms where the cows have been tested to see what genotype they are. Their herds have been divided and the A2 milk producing cows are milked separately.
They test the milk to ensure it is just A2, and to be extra certain they send samples off to a third party, for additional validation.
Is A2 milk healthier than A1 milk?
It’s been proposed that A1 protein is digested differently to A2 protein and has been linked to discomfort after drinking milk, although some scientists dispute this.
If you love science too, you can read the 2009 study by the European Food Safety Authority here. Interestingly, the study makes the point that there needs to be more research on all the proteins in milk, before any health related links can be established.
An earlier study, reviewed in 2005 in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition, stated that ‘there is no convincing or even probable evidence that the A1 beta-casein of cow milk has any adverse effect in humans.’
• European Journal of Clinical Nutrition
And of course it gets more complicated the more you delve into it – it’s not the actual protein that causes the problem, but the fact that once digested A1 beta-casein (but not the A2 variety) releases beta-casomorphin7 (BCM7), an opioid with a structure similar to that of morphine – and that might be the actual culprit.
So the science is inconclusive so far, and the a2 Milk Company is rightly very careful about not making specific health claims.
Their nutritionist Melanie Bibby explains, ‘A2 Milk will benefit people with A1 protein intolerance but will not benefit those with a diagnosed milk allergy or lactose intolerance. We cannot therefore make health claims, as it will not benefit everyone. We are researching and supporting others in researching this area and have had three scientific papers published so far this year which support the A2 hypothesis.’
How is A2 milk better?
So it is clearly still a hypothesis – but one that thousands of people believe. A quick scoot around the web finds dozens of anecdotes claiming people feel better for drinking only A2 milk.
So, given that it didn’t do me any harm, will I be swapping my soya and almond milks for A2?
Well, here’s a slight disappointment. After so many years living without ‘cow juice’ I find I just don’t like the taste of it half so much as soya and almond alternatives.
If you are a regular milk drinker you’ll probably like it, but I’m perfectly happy with soya milk and cream, goat butter, sheep yoghurt and a range of non-cow cheeses that satisfy the ‘Gromit’ in me.
So, no I won’t be a regular customer but if I have guests who like cow’s milk I would certainly consider buying A2 milk to use on these occasions, knowing I can use up any leftovers without fear of bringing on a horrid reaction.
Disclaimer: We received a coupon for money off one carton of A2 milk but no money was paid for this post. As always the opinions expressed are our own. Some pictures were supplied by the A2 Milk Company.
More information about A2 milk
A2 milk is no longer available in UK supermarkets, but can currently be bought from independent suppliers. It’s found more widely in the USA, Australia, China, Germany, Italy and some other European countries.
UK A2 raw milk suppliers:
Hill Farm Real Food, Cheshire – email: hillfarmrealfood@gmail.com.
Hurdlebrook Farm, Somerset – email: moo@hurdlebrook.co.uk
Note: When we wrote this article, Melanie Bibby was the company’s nutritionist. There have been personnel changes since then. For information about the company, see the A2 website.
Where to next?
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