Ground Reality

whats A1, A2 milk?

The protein in milk has a beta-casein component.
Some time ago that component mutated. A1 and A2 are it's two varieties. A2 component is what is found in all mammals including humans. Also all indigenous breeds of cattle in India produce the same A2 protein. However most of the Holstein breed, among other breeds of cows form milk with the A1 variety. This breed of cows is generally found in dairy farms as it is known to have the highest milk production per lactation cycle.
By correlation it was found that the A1 type of milk is the one that is not good for human body. Rise in cases of Autism, lactose intolerance and in general lower immunity have been attributed to A1 milk. In fact there is a company by the name of A2 Corp that first bought this to the notice of the world. Govts never took them seriously but all the dairy farmers of New Zealand saw the truth in their work and converted all their cattle to the A2 breed.
Even US and Europe have started weeding out the A1 producing breed, but supposedly they are being dumped in developing countries like India.
However, according to a Feb 2012 paper by NBAGR that I read, due to us cross breeding these cows instead of using imported cows as such, the breeding centres have been able to at least maintain A1A2 breeds instead of the actually desired A2A2 breeds and thus the issue in India might not be that huge as in countries with milk from A1A1 cattle like US.

I am in the researching phase of setting up my dairy farm and came across this information. It has nothing to do with nationalist propaganda as politicians may lead some to believe. I mean the revolution was started in New Zealand, for crying out loud. But people advocating buying milk of Indian Cows are termed as Hindu Zealots, so thought to clarify that. A normal dairy farmer may never know the difference unless awareness is increased. I have vowed to make sure all my cows, even of the Holstein breed will be of the A2A2 variety but to weed out this mutated gene from a present herd can take a decade of careful pruning. And until the govt becomes serious about this, A1A2 milk will still continue to pollute India.
I would like to point out that even in US and Europe it is small scale dairy farmers who have taken it upon themselves to weed out the A1 gene. Big corporations with vast herds don't pay any heed to these findings and also take it upon themselves to discredit scientists with this viewpoint.
 

If you have time, go through that guy's blog. It is an eye-opener on a lot of things we take for granted.
We have been so enamored by making money, that we have forgotten to see what we buy with that money. Regulatory bodies in India are a joke and hence we need more participation from the society. But no one has the time these days to care about these things.
Articles like these have made me more motivated towards my aim of becoming a successful farmer. Thank god I dropped out of engineering. This seems to be a more worthwhile pursuit of my efforts and time.
 
How about we stop drinking milk? No other animal drinks milk after infancy. It's against nature.

All other animals then go on to eat natural food whereas we start eating processed/cooked food where nutrients get lost during the cooking process.
Actually, it is believed that even pasteurization destroys some of the nutrition of the milk. Cow's raw milk is the best milk you can consume. Unfortunately you can only get that if your local milkman is honest. Also cow milk is not easily available as most of the milkmen started preferring Buffalos over cows because they are easier to manage and their milk has higher fat percentage.
 
If you have time, go through that guy's blog. It is an eye-opener on a lot of things we take for granted.
We have been so enamored by making money, that we have forgotten to see what we buy with that money. Regulatory bodies in India are a joke and hence we need more participation from the society. But no one has the time these days to care about these things.
Articles like these have made me more motivated towards my aim of becoming a successful farmer. Thank god I dropped out of engineering. This seems to be a more worthwhile pursuit of my efforts and time.
Already went through that blog in the evening. Even shared the link on TE Whatsapp group ! :D
 
By correlation it was found that the A1 type of milk is the one that is not good for human body. Rise in cases of Autism, lactose intolerance and in general lower immunity have been attributed to A1 milk.
bad ----------ok------------->|good|

Pretty long tolerance span there multiplied by people who are more susceptible and you have a fuzzy picture.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/far...engthens-health-claims-with-first-human-study

The European Journal of Clinical Nutrition has published the research from Curtin University in Perth. A2 Milk funded the study, which showed people who consumed the A2 protein were less susceptible to bloating and other stomach aches than those who consumed the A1 protein. Regular cows milk contains a blend of the A1 and A2 beta casein proteins. But it is A2 that marketers have seized, despite the science around the protein being until now inconclusive.

Prominent Australian nutritionist Dr Joanna McMillan said the Curtin study was the first step in clarifying some of the milk claims in the health market. But she said more research was needed.

It has followed two animal studies that have investigated the effects of A1 versus A2.

Associate professor Sebely Pal of Curtin University said those animal studies had shown that the A1 protein released a peptide called BCM-7, which has been linked to gut inflammation. She said the A2 protein didn't release this peptide.

"This study has recorded the symptoms. The next phase of the study is to understand what is happening at gut level," Dr McMillan said.
More research required (the usual story with the bulk of health claims), this is why people tune them out, just get a balanced diet.

The Curtin study involved 41 men and women. After a two week "dairy wash out" in which they drank rice instead of cows' milk, they consumed 750ml a day of either A1 or A2 milk. After two weeks they had another "wash out", then swapped milks, which they drank for another two weeks.

The blind trial showed the A1 protein milk had a 61 per cent higher bloating score and 38 per cent higher abdominal pain score compared with A2 as well as a softer stool consistency.
 
bad ----------ok------------->|good|

Pretty long tolerance span there multiplied by people who are more susceptible and you have a fuzzy picture.

http://www.stuff.co.nz/business/far...engthens-health-claims-with-first-human-study


More research required (the usual story with the bulk of health claims), this is why people tune them out, just get a balanced diet.

In a A1A2 cow, the issues are not going to be big because any cow that produces both proteins, A2 is produced in larger quantity than A1. However in the HF cows, more than 50% cows were of A1A1 type.
Research is definitely required but we also can't ignore the ill-effects. Yes these claims may paint a fuzzy picture, but I don't believe that there is smoke without fire in this particular case.
Since A2 milk is what most mammals including humans produce we are definitely better off with drinking A2 milk IMO.
The major issue is gut problems. The intestines of young kids/infants are not well developed. Ever heard of Leaky Gut or Coffee Gut. Infants if served with A1 milk can develop severe gastrointestinal disorders which may or may not lead to diseases like diabetes or other auto-immune diseases.

Also I don't know if most people know this or not but we escaped a major disaster (again IMO) as BJP, under influence of 2 bodies affiliated to RSS, put on hold field trials of 15 GM crops. Just recently Russia has completely banned these American GM crops.

https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&s...kQFjAD&usg=AFQjCNE3f-IHcbwZKL_LQX2-s3aoOstCWw

https://www.google.co.in/url?sa=t&s...wQFjAE&usg=AFQjCNHa82ycyirAGv49Kn1q91drCK9Rqg

More articles on GM crops can be found on the blog I posted earlier as well online.

I am looking forward to more people joining this discussion.
 
Our helpful mod @bottle drinks donkey milk. Has this A1 A2 issue spread to other animals as well? If not, is looking for alternative animal milk a suitable solution too?
 
Our helpful mod @bottle drinks donkey milk. Has this A1 A2 issue spread to other animals as well? If not, is looking for alternative animal milk a suitable solution too?
I get through a litre+ plus of semi skimmed milk a day and have been doing so for years. It's like a cold drink in hot weather. There is no need for full fat unless you are an infant, where it helps in brain development that too only up to the age of 3. Nutritionally its the same.

yeah, there are times when you think you have diarrhea, with a2 milk this will come down. Kids and women are more susceptible than men.

This is a chicken egg thing, we don't get a2 milk here as yet. Am i going to stop drinking milk now ? no

Setting up dairies is a new development, the advantage and USP i would say is you get less watered down milk above anything else at a premium. can already taste a difference between the usual stuff and UHT, stuff that can last up to 30 days. UHT i've been told has less nutrition because its been heated too much. Daily stuff is better. But its watered down and they add milk powder to it some times, so not of consistent quality.
 
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I get through a litre+ plus of semi skimmed milk a day and have been doing so for years. It's like a cold drink in hot weather. There is no need for full fat unless you are an infant, where it helps in brain development that too only up to the age of 3. Nutritionally its the same.

yeah, there are times when you think you have diarrhea, with a2 milk this will come down. Kids and women are more susceptible than men.

This is a chicken egg thing, we don't get a2 milk here as yet. Am i going to stop drinking milk now ? no

Setting up dairies is a new development, the advantage and USP i would say is you get less watered down milk above anything else at a premium. can already taste a difference between the usual stuff and UHT, stuff that can last up to 30 days. UHT i've been told has less nutrition because its been heated too much. Daily stuff is better. But its watered down and they add milk powder to it some times, so not of consistent quality.

Yeah, UHT is poorest on the nutrition scale. It's heated to a 132° whereas in pasteurization it gets heated to 72°. It also tastes like overcooked/burned milk to people who drink normal milk.
Like I said, best milk you can get is raw milk straight from the cow. Especially Indian Cow's milk doesn't have high fat content and is quite perfect for consumption as it is. A mountain goat's milk is the best you can get in terms of nutrition provided that goat does feed in the wild.

There are entrepreneurs who have started providing raw, good quality milk to customers around big cities, especially in societies where people from the IT industry live. They do charge a premium for that (I have heard prices ranging from 70-100 per litre). Same goes for organic farming. I on the other hand am starting my venture in my village, as startup and running costs are low and subsidies are more readily available. Plus demand in my area is quite high compared to the supply and the competition is scarce. Providing good quality stuff is just a personal choice.
Ironically, I myself can't drink milk since I was young. Don't drink tea either. I always used to feel heavy and bloated after a glass of milk and thus stopped drinking at a very young age. My brother on the other hand goes through 2 large glasses of milk everyday since as long as I can remember.
 
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