# A2 milk and lactose intolerance



## bookfarmer (Jan 1, 2009)

Greetings.
I am becoming more and more interested in getting a cow or sharing one, but I have two problems: I love milk but I'm lactose intolerant (LI). From reading various sites, I understand that certain cow breeds produce A2 milk (Jerseys, Guernseys, and a few others) and that this type of milk can be better tolerated by folks like me. In fact when I was a kid, once my brother and I were weaned from goat milk as toddlers, we drank Guernsey milk from our family cow. I don't recall having any LI symptoms until I moved from home.

So my question is to those who have Jerseys, Guernseys, or Dexters. Does anyone in your family have LI? If so, are they able to tolerate the milk from your cows?

Thanks.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

A2 beta casein is not breed specific, but rather is specific to individual cows within a breed. Holtsteins, for example, are divided about 30/70 between those that produce A2 beta caseins and those that produce A1 beta caseins. Guernseys and Jerseys have a more favorable ratio, but neither breed can claim to be 100%.

Most of the Dexters that have been tested for A2 beta casein came from my herd or a handful of others. The Dexter results are: of 28 tests, 18 produce pure A2, 7 produce both A2 and A1, and 2 produce pure A1. 1 test had no result, due to a faulty sample. So 64% of those Dexters tested produce pure A2 beta casein. I doubt that any breed has a higher percentage than that.

The conclusion is that you can't be sure about ANY cow unless she's been tested. The milk is indistinguishable by any means other than a DNA test.

As far as I know, no formal studies have been performed that would answer your question about lactose intolerance. There has been some anecdotal evidence to that effect. Right now I have a friend who is milking an A1/A2 Jersey and a pure A2 Dexter cross cow. He insists that his nightly 18 ounces of milk from the A2 Dexter cross gives him no digestive problems, while the same quantity of A1/A2 Jersey milk does.

I would suggest that you try a small amount of A2 beta casein milk to see what effect it has on you. You can buy A2 milk from the Prairieland Dairy at HyVee stores.

Your story of having no problems with goat milk might indicate that you're on the right track. All goat milk has A2 beta casein. The mutation that caused A1 beta casein only occurred in cattle. The Guernsey cow your family milked when you were a kid might very well have produced A2 beta casein. The odds favor it.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## mgoodman (May 6, 2009)

Hey all,

I'm from Chelsea Green Publishing, and there's a book on A1 and A2 milk that we just published, that is really informative and is worth looking into for those who are interested...

Did you know that the cowâs milk we drink has been linked to a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia?

In Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health, and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk, Keith Woodford brings together startling evidence from more than 100 scientific papers and population studies to reveal a connection between the consumption of ordinary A1 milk and serious health problems. This evidence is linked to an unlikely villain: a tiny protein fragment found in milk that contains A1 beta-casein. This same protein is missing from A2 milk (All cowâs milk was originally A2 milk, as is sheep and goat milk.). 

This controversial discovery is not just about the health issues surrounding A1 milk, but how scientific evidence can be molded and withheld, and how consumer choices are influenced by the interests of corporate business. 
âDevil in the Milk is a monumental study, convincingly laid out, and one that demands our immediate attention. If Woodford is correct, which I have no doubt he is, the effects of drinking milk from A1 cows is a piece of the puzzle that needs to be addressed.â âfrom the Foreword by Thomas Cowan, MD. 

To purchase the book, or just to check out excerpts and more info about this subject, check out this website:
http://www.chelseagreen.com/bookstore/item/devil_in_the_milk

Watch: New Zealand News Exposes the Devil in Our Milk http://www.chelseagreen.com/content/index.php?p=1805


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## RoyalValley (Apr 29, 2009)

I'm just wondering where to get the testing done for my cow's milk. Do vets perform the test?
Thanks,
JP


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

RoyalValley said:


> I'm just wondering where to get the testing done for my cow's milk. Do vets perform the test?
> Thanks,
> JP



If there is a ag college with a vet program near you they will most likely be able to perform the tests for you. Especially if they have a genetics labratory. Otherwise, I don't think that regular vets do these tests.


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## francismilker (Jan 12, 2006)

mgoodman said:


> Hey all,
> 
> I'm from Chelsea Green Publishing, and there's a book on A1 and A2 milk that we just published, that is really informative and is worth looking into for those who are interested...
> 
> ...



I'm not sure I can buy into an idea about the devil in milk. Not trying to sound controversial, but the only devil I can find in milk is a TV and a remote control. The reason why so many people have allergies to most foods and pollens today is that they're too lazy to get off the couch and get dirty once in a while. Folks a few years ago had to work to survive and you didn't hear many stories about illnesses related to milk. I know times were tougher back then and folks had stronger guts, but the lazy people of today that are dying of heart diseases and diabetes are trying to pass it off as food and drug allergies when they probably wouldn't have half the problems if they'd turn off the TV and go outside. 

Once again not trying to sound ugly, but it's my opinion we are trying to find someone to blame for a lot of our own personal choices. You didn't hear much about child obesity a few years ago!


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

The test for A2 beta casein in milk is a patented test that requires a license from the A2 Corporation to perform. Currently they are only testing commercial dairy herds in New Zealand, but have established a US branch of their corporation. We are in negotiations with them to allow a prominent genetics testing lab a license to test for A2 beta casein.

The Corporation is interested in making a profit from their discoveries. We're telling them that allowing the public to test our milk cows will familiarize the rest of the public with A2 milk and help create a demand for it.

Keep your fingers crossed for a positive response. We've been getting good signals lately that we're close to getting permission to test for the general public.

Research universities can bypass the patent requirements for their own research uses, but are not permitted to do it for non-research purposes. One ag lab has already been found in violation of the patent and has stopped their short-lived testing program.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## cjb (May 2, 2006)

I don't know if my Jersey gives A1 or A2 milk but a guy that I work with is extremely lactose intolerant but he can drink my cow's milk without a problem. He is drinking it raw so I assume that the helpful enzymes that would otherwise be killed by homogenizing and pasturizing the milk made the difference?


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

Genebo--

I am very interested in the A2 test. Would love to know if and when it does become available to the general public. I heard rumor of someone marketing their milk as A2 in California. I wonder if it was UC Davis or Cal Poly that got into trouble for doing the test not for research purposes?

Jean


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

JHinCA,

No, it wasn't UC Davis. That's who we're trying to have a license issued to. They're a very reputable lab with an international reputation and many years of cattle testing experience. It wasn't a lab in California. I'm reluctant to say which lab it was, for obvious reasons.

The A2 milk you saw for sale probably came from the Prairieland Dairy, in Firth, Nebraska. They sell through Hy-Vee stores. At present, they're the only A2 producing dairy in the US. If it wasn't theirs, it was imported.

I have no connection with the A2 Corporation, other than emailing and calling them to have testing made available to us. There are people doing the same thing in Australia and England, trying to get testing for their cattle. We keep in touch.

Cjb,

I believe that you're on the right track thinking that it's the raw milk that overcomes his lactose intolerance. I've read a lot of studies to support that. It's not just the enzymes, but the microbes in the milk that provide the means to fully digest the milk.

Excuse me for posting so often on the subject of A2 beta caseins, but it has occupied a lot of my time and thoughts for the last couple of years.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## ArmyDoc (May 13, 2007)

bookfarmer said:


> Greetings.
> I am becoming more and more interested in getting a cow or sharing one, but I have two problems: I love milk but I'm lactose intolerant (LI). From reading various sites, I understand that certain cow breeds produce A2 milk (Jerseys, Guernseys, and a few others) and that this type of milk can be better tolerated by folks like me. In fact when I was a kid, once my brother and I were weaned from goat milk as toddlers, we drank Guernsey milk from our family cow. I don't recall having any LI symptoms until I moved from home.
> 
> So my question is to those who have Jerseys, Guernseys, or Dexters. Does anyone in your family have LI? If so, are they able to tolerate the milk from your cows?
> ...


You might also want to try Goat milk. It is supposed to be much better tollerated than Cows milk for those who are lactose intolerant.


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## LizD (Dec 4, 2008)

Hey guys did you know that goat's milk generally has a higher percentage of lactose? Almost 1% in total lactose higher in fact, and sheep's milk is almost double that to a cow. Lactose intolerance has really become a fairly recent issue (past 30 years or so) with most people and most who assume that they are LI are really intolerant to something else if they have no problem with goat's milk or fresh goat's milk products. Perhaps it is because goats produce the A2 beta casein as Gene suggests, perhaps it is because goat's milk has a much smaller and more easily digested fat globule, as do Dexters, Ayrshires to name a couple or perhaps it has something to do with the process of industrial homogenization. Homogenization is a phenomenum of the '60's and although the process is supposed to be all together innocuous it changes the biochemichal structure of milk to be something else. Cheese cannot be made successfully with homogenized milk without the addition of calcium chloride to restabilize the protein chain. Homogenized milk doesn't sour or clabber it goes bad, but with an extremely extended shelf life  So perhaps the last 50 years of milk innovation has created a new product that our bodies don't recognize and can't digest.... sort of like trans fats..... btw I am a big fan of A2, am breeding my Jersey to an Ai bull tested in New Zealand to be homozygous A2 and will have my Dexters tested as soon as the lab is up and running, hopefully! But just wanted to add these thoughts on lactose and goat's milk. Liz


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## JHinCA (Sep 20, 2003)

genebo said:


> No, it wasn't UC Davis. That's who we're trying to have a license issued to. They're a very reputable lab with an international reputation and many years of cattle testing experience...............
> Genebo
> Paradise Farm


Yay! I hope they get the license! 

How much did it cost to have the test done on your cows? I am fascinated by this and really hope that our cows are A2. 

Jean


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Jean,

The test isn't expensive. It was $25 per test.

I was able to get 6 to 8 cows tested, 2 or 3 times a year. It took a little over a year to get 28 tested.

I first got my own tested, then some that had been bought from me, then some historically significant Dexters.

I expect to continue the same until the testing is publicly available. I'll send another batch as soon as I get 4 more samples.

Genebo
Paradise farm


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## Rick Allen (Jun 5, 2006)

I&#8217;d read or heard somewhere that the pasteurization of milk destroyed enzymes that helped digest lactose. A2 may be chemically preferable to A1 but for lactose intolerance I&#8217;d also look into the difference pasteurization makes. /RA


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## FrankRichards (Dec 9, 2004)

genebo said:


> The A2 milk you saw for sale probably came from the Prairieland Dairy, in Firth, Nebraska. They sell through Hy-Vee stores. At present, they're the only A2 producing dairy in the US. If it wasn't theirs, it was imported.



Unfortunately you're spouting patent lawyer garbage. I'm sure there are many dairies selling A2 milk, they just haven't paid the squeeze. We all know many organic gardeners and farmers that haven't filled out the paperwork and paid the squeeze. This is no different.

Frank


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

If you know of any other dairies selling A2 milk, please let us all know. I've been unable to find any.

What does that mean, "paid the squeeze"?

The type of beta casein contained in milk is indistinguishable except by a DNA test. It doesn't look, taste or smell different. Anyone who didn't pay to have their cattle herd DNA tested for A2 beta casein in the milk has no way of knowing what kind is in there. If they tell you different, you don't have to believe them.

Goats don't have the mutation that caused A1 beta casein in cow's milk. So drink goat's milk if you can't get A2 cow milk where you live.

More about A2 milk from a dairy: The way milk is collected, transported and processed has a lot to do with it. All the milk from a dairy goes into a collection tank. If any of the cows produce A1 beta casein, their milk will be mixed with the others. Then it goes into a tanker truck, where it could be mixed with other milk. When it's processed, everybody's milk ends up in the same tanks. The only way to deliver pure A2 milk to the consumer is to start with all DNA proven A2 cows and keep their milk separate during the collection, transportation and processing. This runs the cost of the operation up, so the milk has to cost the consumer more. Due to the demand, the price is usually higher than it has to be, but that's the lure to the dairyman to produce A2. Better profitability.

We get the health benefits of avoiding A1 beta casein in our milk, but we have to pay for it.

Those of us lucky enough to have a family milk cow want the DNA test for A2 beta casein to be readily available, so we can choose a proven A2 producing cow to milk. We're lobbying the corporation that invented the test to offer it to the public. We're a lot closer than we were 2 years ago.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## bookfarmer (Jan 1, 2009)

Genebo, thanks for staying with this. We don't have HyVee stores in this area so the Prairieland milk isn't available. However, I've found a farmer in my general area who has both Jersey and Dexter cows and I'm going to try to persuade him to sell me some milk from each to try. I know that I won't know for sure if it is A2, but I'm trusting my GI tract to tell me. I'll post what happens.

And thanks, everyone, for a very informative thread.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Bookfarmer,

A very similar thing took place at my neighbor's farm. He sold "cow shares" of milk from a Jersey and three Dexters he'd bought from me. I'd had all of them tested. The Dexters were pure A2 and the Jersey was A2/A1.

The Jersey's milk was very yellow colored, while the Dexter's milk was white, like store-bought milk. He discovered that his customers, who normally got whichever milk was available, began requesting the white milk. They said it never upset their stomachs or gave them gas.

You could draw the conclusion that it was the difference between pure A2 and A2/A1 milk that made the difference. Or it could have been some other difference, like the higher butterfat of the Jersey, or the color itself (indicates high beta carotene content).

It's interesting, anyway. Let us know what you discover.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## LizD (Dec 4, 2008)

Hi Gene; Dexters and Jerseys are pretty close in butterfat levels, Dexters ranging around the 4 -4.2% and Jerseys 4.65 -4.85%. The big difference is the size of the fat globule itself, Dexters having a very small fat globule which makes the milk more readily digestible for some. The 'yellow' of Jersey milk doesn't mean a 'high' beta carotene content, it means that Jerseys convert any forage they eat to beta carotene where-as goats and perhaps Dexters, given the whiteness of the milk, convert any forage they eat to vitamin A. Jersey cream is always yellow, even in winter when they are eating hay, it does however become more vibrantly yellow if they are on pasture and getting a lot of forage, my Dexters' still stay white. The problem Bookfarmer with letting your GI tract tell you the difference between the Jersey and the Dexter milk at your neighbour's is that we would still not know if it was the digestibility of the smaller fat globule, a true lactose intolerance or A1/A2 differences in the milk. If you have been tested as lactose intolerant and can still drink goats' milk then there is probably some merit to A2 beta casein allowing truly lactose intolerant individuals to digest lactose, since goats' milk contains more lactose. Testing on your neighbour's cows' milk, would be like drinking milk from my Jersey or my Dexters, until the test is available publically, we will never know their status. Liz


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## blake (Sep 29, 2009)

genebo,
Any recent news with the A2 testing development?
Has UC Davis gotten any closer?


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## jonc (Nov 16, 2005)

Hey all...frequent lurker, seldom poster. I get milk from this farm sometimes and thought that this might help. Not sure if anyone is close to this farm, but just in case. I have friends who are EXTREMELY LI - as in a pad of butter and then in 10 mins crazy sounds from their stomachs and then running to the bathroom. They have all been able to drink any RAW milk I have bought from different farms, both cow and goat - pint glasses of it. I am sure that it is different in every case, just my experience. 

Spring Water Farm - farmer is certified raw by the state of PA. Cows are entirely grass fed and functionally organic in every way. The cows never receive any grain at any time. Alvin raises a heritage breed of cattle called The Dutch Belted, not to be confused with the Belted Galloway which is a beef cow. He has been raising them since 1992. This breed of cattle is rare and endangered. They produce a milk that is of a different consistency and flavor than Jersey or Holstein. According to sources familiar with the Dutch Belted breed, this milk is more easily digested, has a higher protein to fat ratio, and does not separate as much as other breeds' milk. There is a high percentage of A2 casein protein (found in sheep and goats milk) relative to A1 casein found in most other cows' milk, which accounts for the digestibility.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

Public testing is not really any closer than it was last spring. It isn't UC Davis that is driving the effort to have the testing done, it's a small group of Dexter owners. They spend large sums on phone calls to keep the effort moving.

There are two people who have to agree in order to have the test made available to us. One supports us. The other is indifferent. We have to convince him that it would be a boon to the Corporation to have a large number of people drinking and extolling the virtues of A2 milk. It would create demand. 

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## usguernsey (Jan 5, 2010)

We tested over 200 Guernsey cows in the US for the A2 gene. We tested with GeneSeek in Nebraska, which will no longer run the test, but was operating under an agreement with the A2 Corp at the time. 79% of the cows tested (from four geographically and genetically diverse herds) were A2A2. 19% were A2A1.


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## cathleenc (Aug 16, 2007)

I would love to have our guernsey/jersey cow tested and am hoping to see 'tests now available' posted sometime soon, here on HT.


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## genebo (Sep 12, 2004)

That's a pretty good percentage on those Guernseys.

The latest email exchanges indicate that there's a good chance that A2 testing will be available to the small owner by spring or summer.

The testing is to be available to people who are milking for their own consumption and to people who breed cows to sell to those who milk for themselves. It's not for commercial dairymen. There will be a separate program for them.

The word that I got is that the price of testing will remain at about the same level, at or close to $25 per test. It all depends upon which lab gets to do the tests and what agreement they work out.

Two factors entered into this. One was the number of people who wrote asking for the test to be made available. The other is that a top man in the Corporation is sensitive to the needs of families.

Genebo
Paradise Farm


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## springvalley (Jun 23, 2009)

I had never heard of this till about two weeks ago, I had a guy call me to see if I have A2 cows? I said what? He then told me about this. I milk all Jersey`s and sell alot of raw milk, and all my customers all love the milk. I have had many customers say they can drink my milk and not store boughtin milk. I can`t tell you how many times I have had people tell me of health problems made better after drinking my raw milk. Now what better reason can a guy have to keep milking cows. I myself use to have stomach problems and would have to take a handful of ant-acids every night just to sleep. After we started milking cows again and drinking raw milk, I no longer have to take the ant-acids, and thats Gods honest truth. Thanks Marc.


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## Callieslamb (Feb 27, 2007)

bookfarmer said:


> Genebo, thanks for staying with this. We don't have HyVee stores in this area so the Prairieland milk isn't available. However, I've found a farmer in my general area who has both Jersey and Dexter cows and I'm going to try to persuade him to sell me some milk from each to try. I know that I won't know for sure if it is A2, but I'm trusting my GI tract to tell me. I'll post what happens.
> 
> And thanks, everyone, for a very informative thread.


I think you will have to come up with a different solution than buying from your neighbor. It is illegal to sell raw milk in MI....sad, but true. Ask about cow shares- you can skirt the law that way.


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## BlackWillowFarm (Mar 24, 2008)

I milk a Jersey, but I don't know if she's A1 or A2.

I'm not so sure that lactose intolerance is due to A1 or A2 milk as much as it has to do with pasteurization vs raw.

My teenage daughter didn't want to drink raw milk at first. I had to sneak it in her diet, which I normally wouldn't do, but felt the benefits of raw milk were worth the temporary deception. I put raw milk into the store carton and shook it each morning so she wouldn't see the cream line before she had her cereal.

She drank it for almost two weeks before she said something to me. Turns out she had cereal at a friends house and got the stomach cramps she had forgotten about when drinking milk at home. It was then she realized I must have been putting raw milk into her container. She also commented how much better it tasted.

Many people who can't tolerate pasteurized milk can drink raw milk without any trouble. Hopefully, you'll be one of them too.


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