A2 milk and the dairy debate
Many popular diets instruct people to avoid dairy, for a variety of reasons. When you consider the pros and cons of personal dairy consumption, you may want to add one more variable to the decision equation: should you avoid A1 milk and try A2 milk instead?
A2 milk refers to the protein A2 beta casein, which has been scientifically identified as containing the original form of beta casein produced by cows thousands of years ago. Some people who experienced intolerance for regular dairy find that they can tolerate A2 dairy well. These days, A2 milk is available in many supermarkets in the USA and in Europe, so experimenting with this option is easy.
Who may want to experiment with A2 dairy?
People who have noticed that they can consume dairy products while in Europe but can’t tolerate dairy in the USA. This could be due to the prevalence of A2 milk products in Europe, as opposed to the use of A1 dairy cows in the USA.
Those who practice the SCD diet and can’t tolerate dairy yogurt. Usually they try nut-milk yogurts instead, but they may miss out on some nutrients that are more concentrated in dairy. They may want to experiment with A2 dairy occasionally.
Learn more:
- The book that started the debate is Devil in the milk by Keith Woodford, Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand.
- Food intolerance network factsheet
- A2 milk, Wikipedia
- Commercially available A2 milk
