milk & milk

June 7, 2005

Hello all of you:

I have just found the following piece of information on

www.theomnivore.com, a page by Colpo. Although his approach

is paleolithic, it is worth while reading what he has got to say on

milk.

This is just an excerpt.

" Dairy products are also another interesting area. Obviously, before

the domestication of animals, humans would have had virtually no

opportunity to consume milk. However, several populations that

retained a largely hunter-gatherer-type subsistence pattern during

the Neolithic period came to rely upon milk as a regular staple.

Perhaps the most famous of these is the east African Masai, who drink

liters of high fat milk every day. Copious milk consumption appears

to have caused the Masai little harm; researchers who have visited

these nomadic people have been impressed by their high level of

fitness. Examination of autopsied Masai males has revealed a virtual

absence of advanced atherosclerosis, unlike age-matched American

males.(1-4)

There exist, however, some important differences between the milk

consumed by these nomads, and the milk consumed in most Western

countries. First of all, a significant portion of milk consumed by

the Masai is reportedly in soured form, as the milk quickly curdles

as it is placed in gourds in the hot African desert sun. Secondly,

the Masai herd Zebu cattle, a more primitive-looking cattle variant

that supply the same sort of milk that the earliest dairy animals

delivered thousands of years ago - beta-casein A2 milk. Most milk

consumed in Western countries is unfermented and is of the beta-

casein A1 variety.

Cheese, butter, cultured creams, or yogurt, are a good source of

calcium and vitamins A and D, and I see little reason for people with

no allergies or sensitivities to these products to avoid them. The

culturing process may also make these products easier for some people

with lactose intolerance to digest. As for liquid milk, this is a

relatively high-carb item that I feel is best left out of most low-

carb diets--most low-carbers would be best served spending their

carbohydrate " allowance " elsewhere (on antioxidant-rich fruits,

vegetables, and nuts). "

I hope this is a good input to the current debate on milk.

José

June 7, 2005

So what is difference between A1 milk and A2 milk?

the Masai herd Zebu cattle, a more primitive-looking cattle variant

that supply the same sort of milk that the earliest dairy animals

delivered thousands of years ago - beta-casein A2 milk. Most milk

consumed in Western countries is unfermented and is of the beta-

casein A1 variety.

June 7, 2005

Hi:

I wish I knew. I think we have to post a question to Mr Colbo or

otherwise do some research on the net. Could you do either?

Cheers,

José

> So what is difference between A1 milk and A2 milk?

>

> the Masai herd Zebu cattle, a more primitive-looking cattle variant

> that supply the same sort of milk that the earliest dairy animals

> delivered thousands of years ago - beta-casein A2 milk. Most milk

> consumed in Western countries is unfermented and is of the beta-

> casein A1 variety.

>

June 7, 2005

What's the difference between 'A1' and 'A2' milk?

The name comes from the type of protein in the milk. Milk from cows, and any

other milk producing animal, can vary quite a lot in the types and amounts of

proteins they contain.

Cow's milk contains six major proteins. Four are casein proteins, the other two

are whey proteins. Casein proteins make up about 80 percent of the protein in

cow's milk. A type of casein called beta-casein is one of the major ones, and is

itself of different kinds, depending on the genetic make-up of the cow. The most

common are beta-casein A1 and beta-casein A2. Milk high in beta-casein A1 is

being referred to as 'A1 milk' while milk high in beta-casein A2 is being called

'A2 milk'.

What milk am I drinking?

Milk produced in New Zealand and many other countries normally contains a

mixture of A1 and A2 beta-caseins. Different breeds can produce different milk.

For example Friesian cows produce mostly A1 milk, while Guernsey cows, sheep and

goats produce mostly A2 milk.

What is the issue?

Research recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has suggested

there is a possible link between milk protein consumption and heart disease and

insulin-dependent diabetes. Researchers Dr Murray Laugeson and Professor

Emeritus Bob Elliott collected data from various sources from 20 wealthy

countries and reported a significant correlation between the amount of A1

beta-casein consumed in a country and the national rate of coronary heart

disease. They also found a similar correlation between A1 beta-casein

consumption and the rate of childhood type 1 diabetes.

Re: milk & milk

Hi:

I wish I knew. I think we have to post a question to Mr Colbo or

otherwise do some research on the net. Could you do either?

Cheers,

José

> So what is difference between A1 milk and A2 milk?

>

> the Masai herd Zebu cattle, a more primitive-looking cattle variant

> that supply the same sort of milk that the earliest dairy animals

> delivered thousands of years ago - beta-casein A2 milk. Most milk

> consumed in Western countries is unfermented and is of the beta-

> casein A1 variety.

>

June 7, 2005

Hi Panamabob:

I can't guess what your real name is. Names matter to me, but well

let it be.

The information you have brought makes sense. It seems that A2 milk

could be harmless, but nevertheless you would still be eating (I mean

drinking) some of the A1 protein type when you use it, wouldn't you?

Another point: the Masai apparently use fermented milk rather than

unfermented. Couldn't this represent a meaningful difference? I hear

that the lactose in milk can lead to cataract (opacity of the eye

lens).

And the main question: do we really need milk if, in opposition to

the Masai, we can afford to have a much more varied diet including a

lot of items they don't have?

Thanks for the interesting facts, anyway.

Good night,

José

> What's the difference between 'A1' and 'A2' milk?

> The name comes from the type of protein in the milk. Milk from

cows, and any other milk producing animal, can vary quite a lot in

the types and amounts of proteins they contain.

>

> Cow's milk contains six major proteins. Four are casein proteins,

the other two are whey proteins. Casein proteins make up about 80

percent of the protein in cow's milk. A type of casein called beta-

casein is one of the major ones, and is itself of different kinds,

depending on the genetic make-up of the cow. The most common are beta-

casein A1 and beta-casein A2. Milk high in beta-casein A1 is being

referred to as 'A1 milk' while milk high in beta-casein A2 is being

called 'A2 milk'.

>

> What milk am I drinking?

> Milk produced in New Zealand and many other countries normally

contains a mixture of A1 and A2 beta-caseins. Different breeds can

produce different milk. For example Friesian cows produce mostly A1

milk, while Guernsey cows, sheep and goats produce mostly A2 milk.

>

> What is the issue?

> Research recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has

suggested there is a possible link between milk protein consumption

and heart disease and insulin-dependent diabetes. Researchers Dr

Murray Laugeson and Professor Emeritus Bob Elliott collected data

from various sources from 20 wealthy countries and reported a

significant correlation between the amount of A1 beta-casein consumed

in a country and the national rate of coronary heart disease. They

also found a similar correlation between A1 beta-casein consumption

and the rate of childhood type 1 diabetes.

June 7, 2005

You guys certainly have chatted a lot since I left my last message. I have had

to go through the lot and found that most of the replies I was going to make

with information (as per below) have already been made. But made better than I

ever would have done.

Had to laugh at " have they been checked for worms " in the other thread!!

Re: milk & milk

What's the difference between 'A1' and 'A2' milk?

The name comes from the type of protein in the milk. Milk from cows, and any

other milk producing animal, can vary quite a lot in the types and amounts of

proteins they contain.

Cow's milk contains six major proteins. Four are casein proteins, the other

two are whey proteins. Casein proteins make up about 80 percent of the protein

in cow's milk. A type of casein called beta-casein is one of the major ones, and

is itself of different kinds, depending on the genetic make-up of the cow. The

most common are beta-casein A1 and beta-casein A2. Milk high in beta-casein A1

is being referred to as 'A1 milk' while milk high in beta-casein A2 is being

called 'A2 milk'.

What milk am I drinking?

Milk produced in New Zealand and many other countries normally contains a

mixture of A1 and A2 beta-caseins. Different breeds can produce different milk.

For example Friesian cows produce mostly A1 milk, while Guernsey cows, sheep and

goats produce mostly A2 milk.

What is the issue?

Research recently published in the New Zealand Medical Journal has suggested

there is a possible link between milk protein consumption and heart disease and

insulin-dependent diabetes. Researchers Dr Murray Laugeson and Professor

Emeritus Bob Elliott collected data from various sources from 20 wealthy

countries and reported a significant correlation between the amount of A1

beta-casein consumed in a country and the national rate of coronary heart

disease. They also found a similar correlation between A1 beta-casein

consumption and the rate of childhood type 1 diabetes.

June 7, 2005

>They also found a similar correlation between A1 beta-casein consumption

>and the rate of childhood type 1 diabetes.

There is a documented relationship between IgA food allergies and T1

diabetes ... in rats, T1 can be induced by giving the rat pups gluten or casein

at a young age, before the gut if fully formed. However, this

does not happen if *hydrolyzed* casein is used .. i.e. changing

the casein protein slightly is enough to stop the problem. I suspect

the fermented milk would be fine. I don't know about A1 vs. A2,

but it sounds like A2 is a lot less problematic.

-- Heidi Jean

June 8, 2005

Hey I'm just reporting findings from google...I am not a biologist nor

nutritionist

My name is Bob, I'm from Panama...what more can I say?