A2 Milk: Golden Opportunity for Dairy
by Ken Rabas
(Editor’s note: In this article we refer to the
subject as “A2” milk. The firm which owns the
patent and trademark rights is the a2 Corp. of
New Zealand. )
A2 milk has been previously covered in The
Milkweed, but let’s revisit this potentially important
dairy consumption trend. A2 milk first came to public attention in 2007, with the release of Keith Woodford’s book, “Devil in the Milk.” Dr. Woodford is a
Professor of Agri-Food Systems at Lincoln University, in New Zealand.
Early on, Woodford absorbed plenty of criticism from New Zealand’s dairy industry. NZ dairy
interests scorned his detailing perceptions regarding
A1 milk’s potential human health negatives. In truth,
Woodford merits commendation for researching and
detailing the human health benefits A2 milk. He has
a website at Lincoln University:
https://keithwoodford.wordpress.com
Woodford occasionally posts updates on A2
milk issues. Much of this article derives directly
from Woodford’s posts, which generally cover
recently released research about A2 milk matters.
Woodford discusses both sides of A1/A2 milk issues.
After several very interesting posts in 2010 and
2011, Woodford submitted no new posts until 2014.
All milk was once A2, until a genetic mutation
affected some European cattle thousands of years ago.
Most cows in Asia, Africa, Isle of Guernsey, and parts
of southern Europe produce A2 milk, but in the United States, Canada, New Zealand, Australia, and northern Europe the majority of the cows produce A1 milk.
This issue isn’t so much of A1 versus A2. This problem is caused by the breakdown of A1 milk in digestion, to the small protein/peptide, beta-casomorphin 7,
or BCM7, that repeatedly shows up were we also see
adverse health issues. A2 milk does not and BCM7,
and we do not see health problems related to it. A personal note for me, since I have been on A2 milk, I no
longer have problems with phlegm. I used to have to
quit drinking milk when I had a cold. Now I continue
to drink my A2 milk, without any problems.
Let’s quickly summarize the perceived human
health benefits of A2 milk. (A more proper, in-depth
discussion of the science behind A2 merits a followup article in The Milkweed.)
Keith Woodford’s comments allowed us to
catch up on the last several years work of A1 versus
A2 developments. Just a brief review of the health
issues that have been suspected of having links to A1
milk and BCM7, includes heart disease, type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia. BCM 7 also
appears to complicate issues for people that suffer
from various digestive disorders and auto-immune
disorders, which would include Coeliac disease and
Crohn’s disease. SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), multiple sclerosis, and Parkinson’s disease
have also been mentioned.
Human health discussions of A2 milk’s importance begins with infants and mothers. During digestion A1 milk breaks down to BCM7. If BCM7 gets
in the blood stream, it can cause problems. BCM7
gets in the blood stream when there is leaky gut syndrome, from digestive disorders, stress, or in the case
of infants, until their digestive system becomes fully
developed, at 2 or 3 years of age. It has been shown
that BCM7 in a mother’s bloodstream passes to the
nursing baby from mother’s milk, even though
mother’s milk is A2A2. BCM7 can be tested for in
both the blood and urine. Many of the health issues
that appear to correlate with elevated BCM7 levels
begin in early childhood. With SIDS it appears that
the elevated opioid effect of BCM7 may lower the
respiratory rate and possibly be a contributing factor.
Anything that is associated with babies’ poor health
is an emotional issue for parents and grandparents.
The science behind A2 milk is very strong. But
the dairy industry politics opposing A2 milk have
been even stronger. The dairy industry politics
assure that public funding for significant A2 milk
research is kept as close to zero as possible. For that
10 — The Milkweed • February 2015
reason, almost all A2 milk research is labeled as
inconclusive by most major dairy interests. But evidence against A1 milk grows with the release of each
new research report. It is becoming increasingly
more difficult for the dairy industry to say there is no
difference between A1 and A2 milk. Following my
research on A2 milk, my personal opinion is that all
mothers and young children should drink A2 milk.
That should be a high priority for all families, for the
health and well-being of children.
Let me explain these strong opinions about A2
milk. I became aware of A2 milk a dozen years ago,
when Gearld Fry explained A2 issues following his
visit New Zealand. In 2013, I reread Dr. Woodford’s
“Devil in the Milk” and received a better understanding of the science behind A2 milk – important information missed during the first reading. Rereading that
book afforded a better understanding of the science.
The first week of January 2014, I did a Google
search for Keith Woodford A2 milk, and found the
above-mentioned post at Lincoln University. I read
the posts from 2010 and 2011. With a four-month old
son, the health information I read became both scary
and emotionally charged. Young children and
grandchildren compel us to think more deeply about
food and environmental issues. So I hope readers
will excuse my writing this article with emotion that
may push beyond readers’ comfort zones. At the
most basic levels: I believe that A2 milk offers a
wonderful opportunity for the U.S. dairy industry.
But in the likely future scenario of “out with the old,
and in with the new,” we’ll witness controversy and
collateral damage in our hidebound dairy industry.
A2: tremendous future opportunity
A2 milk offers great opportunity to improve the
health and well-being of family members, friends, and
neighbors. At our home, we have our own grass-fed,
A2, real milk. Most people have to depend on what
is in the grocery store. Currently no A2 options may
be found on supermarket shelves for consumers. This
needs to change. The only way a consumer can find
A2 milk today, is to find a source of raw A2 milk …
and decide whether to home-pasteurize, or not.
Expect increased consumer interest in A2 raw
milk, if the U.S. dairy industry doesn’t offer commercial A2 products. I’m not advocating raw milk,
rather, I am encouraging the dairy industry to give
future consumers what they will want, so they don’t
have to turn to raw milk. Let’s expand our sometimes “dairy tunnel vision” to imagine A2 milk as a
tremendous opportunity for the dairy industry.
Australia has become the most successful market for A2 milk. And A2 milk sales are being conducted successfully in Great Britain. Those two
countries – modern and English-speaking – can
serve as valid “test plots” for the U.S. market.
Last year, Dr. Woodford wrote three articles for
the Fairfax NZ Sunday Star Times (August 24, 31,
and September 7). That series updated and summarized A2 milk issues. I will be quoting heavily from
these articles.
From Woodford’s Aug. 24, 2014 article
“Evidence that A1 beta-casein might be a
human health issue has been available for more than
15 years. However the mainstream dairy industry
has always fought against the notion that it might be
important. Within the last year, The a2 Milk Company has also launched an infant formula, ‘a2 Platinum’. It is produced here in New Zealand by Synlait on contract to The a2 Milk Company, and is marketed in Australia, New Zealand, and China. Within
New Zealand, the promotion has been limited, but in
Australia it is clearly getting lots of traction … there
is a flood of new research now being published in
the international scientific and medical journals
demonstrating the relevance of A1 beta-casein to
human health. The underlying cause is that A1 betacasein digests to release a peptide (a protein fragment) which has opioid characteristics. The peptide
is called beta-casomorphin-7, or BCM7. This translates as ‘a morphine-like fragment from beta-casein
containing seven amino acids’. The effects are multifaceted and every month we are learning more.”
In 2007, author Keith Woodford released “Devil
In The Milk” – the book that brought to public attention the differences between A1 and A2 milk. A2
milk is expected to be sold in the U.S. later in 2015.
“The key research which is bringing the betacasein issue back to public attention right now has
come from Curtin University’s School of Public
Health. This research has demonstrated in a human
clinical trial that A1 and A2 beta-casein produce statistically significant differences in digestive symptoms.”
“I have always argued that for New Zealand
the A1 versus A2 milk issue could be either a risk or
an opportunity. Unfortunately, to a large extent we
have squandered the opportunity – by ignoring
rather than managing the risk – and now it is about
to become a real risk.”
“The way to get rid of A1 beta-casein is to breed
cows that produce only the A2 type of beta-casein. It
is easy to breed out the A1, but it takes time. Sheep,
goats, camels, buffalo and humans only produce
beta-casein of the A2 type. The A1 type is only in cattle and has been caused by a historical mutation.”
“There is a lot more to be said about A1 betacasein, including specifics of the health implications,
and the associated industry politics.”
“The big message is that New Zealand should
quickly get on with the task of breeding its dairy
herds to be free of A1 beta-casein. Unfortunately,
that will take at least ten years.”
From Woodford’s August 31 article:
“However, what has remained controversial
until recently has been whether or not the BCM7 can
pass through into the blood. Russian researchers
have now shown quite clearly that it does pass into
the blood of babies fed infant formula. They have
also shown that a proportion of these babies are
unable to metabolize the BCM7 efficiently between
feeds and these particular babies have delayed psycho-motor (brain-to-muscle) development.”
“Russian workers have also found BCM7 in
the urine of all children on normal milk diets. Polish
researchers have even found that mothers who are
themselves drinking cow milk can pass bovine
BCM7 to their babies in breast milk.”
“The original evidence implicating A1 betacasein came from Professor Bob Elliott from Auckland University. He noted that Samoan children
brought up in Samoa had a minimal level of Type 1
diabetes whereas children of Samoan ethnicity in
New Zealand are vulnerable. He looked for differences in lifestyle, and identified exposure to cow
milk as a possibility. Subsequently working with Dr
Murray Laugesen, he showed that across the developed world more than 80% of the between-country
variations in Type 1 diabetes could be explained by
Continued on page 11
U.S. Imported Butter in 2014 from 9 Nations with Foot-and-Mouth Disease Problems
Bad enough that Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack wants to import beef
from Foot and Mouth Disease-infected (FMD) nations like Brazil and Argentina. But in reviewing the nations that exported butter to the U.S. in 2014, we find
a handful of nations with FMD problems. Somebody in Washington, D.C. is
asleep at the switch on this one!
In 2014, the U.S. imported butter from the following nations that lack
FMD-free status by the World Organization for Animal Health: India, Israel,
Egypt and Bangladesh.
Further, the following nations have FMD regions that do or do not practice
vaccination: Columbia, Argentina, Brazil, Turkey, and Philippines.
In total, the U.S. imported 929,051.5 pounds of butter valued at
$1,879,000 from FMD-infected countries during 2014. (See table.)
FMD may survive in processed dairy products and meats (even frozen
products) for up to seven weeks. Importing dairy products from nation’s with
FMD problems is incredibly unwise.
2014 U.S. Butter Imports from FMD Nations
Volume and Dollar Value
Partner
Colombia
Argentina
Israel(*)
Brazil
Philippines
Egypt
Bangladesh
Total
Product
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
040510 - Butter
UOM
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Source: USDA Foreign Agricultural Service GATS database
Value
(1,000)
$752
$666
$228
$120
$63
$29
$21
$1,879
2014
Qty
414,464.80
313,714.60
94,015.20
61,411.30
20,280.10
20,716.60
4,448.90
929,051.50
2014 U.S. Butter Imports
By Nation, Volume and Dollar Value (1,000)
2014
Partner
World Total
Ireland
France(*)
New Zealand(*)
Australia(*)
Germany(*)
Denmark(*)
India
Colombia
Argentina
Poland
Italy(*)
United Kingdom
Mexico
Netherlands
Belgium-Luxembourg(*)
Israel(*)
Costa Rica
Lithuania
Portugal
Brazil
Finland
Turkey
Canada
Czech Republic
Philippines
Egypt
Bangladesh
Greece
Grand Total
Product
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
040510
-
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
Butter
UOM
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Lbs.*
Value
Qty
68,203 28,948,710.60
30,704 11,978,839.60
13,986 5,091,347.30
11,695 6,754,830.50
2,809 1,388,009.50
1,451
664,451.00
1,181
334,689.10
1,082
448,486.20
752
414,464.80
666
313,714.60
545
213,500.10
527
177,986.20
483
122,602.20
400
211,915.00
317
149,019.90
251
101,411.60
228
94,015.20
225
125,662.20
154
61,188.70
122
35,853.40
120
61,411.30
112
72,284.40
94
25,064.10
93
28,853.80
92
33,069.00
63
20,280.10
29
20,716.60
21
4,448.90
3
595.2
68,203 28,948,710.60
A2 Milk: Golden Opportunity for Dairy, con’t
Continued from page 10
per capita intake of A1 beta-casein. Corran McLachlan showed similar correlations between intake of
A1 beta-casein and heart disease. The correlations
are statistically very strong and no alternative explanation for these between-country differences has
stood the test of time.”
“The New Zealand ‘AgRats’ study also found,
as expected, that the opioid effects of BCM7 from A1
beta-casein slowed down the passage of food through
the rat intestines. Intriguingly, the A1 beta-casein also
significantly increased the release of an enzyme
called DPP4. The reason this is so intriguing is that
the modern gliptin drugs, now widely used to control
Type 2 diabetes, act by inhibiting this enzyme,
whereas with A1 beta-casein the level increased.”
“There is a lot more research of relevance,
including arterial plaque in rabbits and increased
antibodies to oxidized LDL in humans. I now have
several hundred published studies of relevance in my
database. There is also a stream of additional studies
in the pipeline about which I am very excited. There
is no chance this issue will go away.”
From Woodford’s September 7 article:
”Farmers can increase the rate of conversion by
a range of active decisions. The most powerful is to
genetically test each calf at birth and select replacements accordingly. Many farmers already genetically test their calves for other reasons, so adding the
available test for A1 beta-casein is easy.”
“A second strategy is to test the cows. This can
have some effect through more effective culling, but
is less powerful than testing the calves.”
“The other way to greatly speed up the conversion is to use sex-selected semen. This would allow all
existing A2 cows to produce female A2 progeny. This
system works very well in intensive year-round mating systems used overseas, but needs further refinement for New Zealand’s seasonal mating systems.”
“The concern about damage to the ‘existing category’ remains a key constraint influencing industry
decisions. It is also an issue many politicians would
prefer not to face up to. The alternative perspective is
that it is better to manage risks pro-actively.”
“Patents, which are not effective in New
Zealand, run out in most other countries starting in
2016. So we have less than two years to build our lead.
Thereafter, other countries, and particularly the USA
with its mega-sized herds and the use of sex-selected
semen, can quickly catch up, and race ahead with differentiated A1-free premium products. Oh dear!”
Did any readers see the same, potential huge
opportunity for the U.S. dairy industry that I saw in
Woodford’s comments? Now I will share some of
the things that I discovered as I looked into Holstein
A2 genetics available in the U.S. I only looked at the
Holstein population. ALL of the AI studs that I
looked into have A2 DNA tests for their bulls. Surprisingly, many popular sires of sons the last several
years have been A2A2. Thus, the U.S. dairy industry at this time has a much higher level of A2 genetics than Keith Woodford thought. In fact, one of the
larger U.S. studs shows that over 50% of their bulls
are A2A2 only 10% A1A1 for a 70% A2 gene total.
2 other studs were also well over 50% A2.
The A2 DNA test is available from both the
University of California-Davis, and GeneSeek in
Lincoln, Nebraska. I have used the GeneSeek lab,
the test is $12/animal, and there #is 402-435-0665.
That test requires about 30 hair follicles from tail
hair; also, the animal should be at least 6 month old.
(Younger animals can be tested, but require a blood
sample instead of a tail hair sample.)
Last January I was faced with a dilemma: what to
do about my growing knowledge of A2 milk, and how
to help people, especially the people closest to me? I
live in what’s called the largest Amish community west
of the Mississippi River. Almost all of those families
drink milk direct from the farm, so I set out to spread
the word among my neighbors. I challenge each farm
to test half a dozen cows – at a total cost of well under
$100. Testing a half dozen milk cows should reveal at
least one or two A2A2 cows. Some neighbors are finding more. Then: the only milk that goes to the house is
from A2A2 cows. I would urge any dairy farmers
drinking their own herd’s milk to do the same for your
family, employees and their families.
Taking A2 beyond dairy dinner tables
The dairy industry has built a huge infrastructure to produce Whole Milk Powder, (WMP). But
right now U.S. processors cannot market the volume
of powder anywhere near what they’ve intended to
produce. Domestic and global demand for U.S.-produced WMP is stagnant. A2 Whole Milk Powder, for
infant formula or just a stable marketable A2 milk
product for the general public, could be a way to
bring the WMP industry back to profitability.
As Keith Woodford, said, the evidence against
A1 milk is mounting and the issue isn’t going away.
The dairy industry is one angry parent away from a
lot of bad publicity. If one very upset parent starts
asking questions about why their sick baby has such
elevated levels of BCM7 in their blood, asks were
BCM7 comes from, goes to the internet, and says,
“Oh, no! I drank the wrong milk,” and turns to social
media. Look out. Remember what pink slime did to
IBP. BCM7 is much bigger than pink slime. Let’s
make some changes, so this never happens.
Organic dairy producers in the U.S. deserve
commendations, because since the 2007 release of
“Devil in the Milk,” organic dairy farmers have been
paying attention to A2 and are changing their genetics. There are 35-40 organic dairy farmers in my
community, and virtually all know about A2 milk.
We still have work to do, but everyone is aware. Last
winter, in a conversation with one of the larger conventional dairy farmers in the community, he was
asked about A2 milk. Answer: “What’s that?” …
along with a confused look.
No “bad case scenarios” of this sort need happen, if the U.S. dairy industry refocuses dairy cattle
genetics and works to eliminate the A1 gene from
our nation’s dairy herd – all in tandem with a wellcoordinated marketing program. If there is no A1
milk, there is no BCM7 in children’s blood. And we
never have to hear about it again. The U.S. dairy
industry could have a role in improving the overall
health and well-being of their consumers … our proclaimed goal, eh??? Let dairy, through A2 milk,
become a “farm-acy” for improved human wellness!
The a2 Corporation of New Zealand has
announced that it intends to re-enter the U.S. market
in 2015. Several years ago, the initial effort in the
U.S. bombed. Thus, the advent of commercial A2
sales may be soon. The a2 Corporation of New
Zealand owns both the testing technology and has
intellectual property rights over A2 milk. Whenever
and however A2 milk arrives as supermarkets in the
U.S., let’s hope that it’s an opportunity that may be
widely shared and enjoyed. Some day, A2 milk
might be the “new Organic” … and if those cows
gorge on a lot of grass and pasture … so much the
better! More information is available at:
www.a2milk.com or www.thea2milkcompany.com
I would personally love to see the dairy industry become the farm-acy, helping our family, friends,
and neighbors and maybe even the people I don’t
like so much.
The Milkweed • February 2015 — 11