A2 milk for those with Lactose Intolerance Symptoms ?

Please note that Lactose Intolerance is different to Cow’s Milk Protein Allergies, and A2 milk is not suitable for those with cow’s milk protein allergies.

There is some exciting new research into A2 milk which was revealed last week. I wrote about A2 milk previously at a time when there was only a small amount of research done. This new research is a lot more conclusive. So read on for exciting news if you’re sensitive to milk, or intolerant to milk or even if you suspect you have lactose intolerance. (Again this is not of relevance if you are allergic to milk protein or have severe lactose intolerance). 

What is A2 Milk?

A2 is a beta-casein protein found in cow’s milk. It differs by one amino acid to A1 beta-casein protein. Originally all cow’s milk contained A2, but there was a genetic mutation in European herds thousands of years ago. This resulted in milk produced by European cows containing solely A1 protein. Most of the milk we consume here in Europe is A1 type milk. A2 milk is milk which contains only the A2 protein, and there are special herds of cows bred for this purpose who produce solely A2 milk.

The New Research

The recent trial involved participants half of which had been diagnosed as lactose intolerant, and the other half had self-reported that they were sensitive to dairy. They all found they could tolerate A2 Milk with no digestive problems, even those who were medically diagnosed as lactose intolerant! They found that many of the uncomfortable symptoms could be caused instead by the A1 protein, which is found in most cows’ milk. A2 Milk is naturally free from this. This means that lactose intolerance may not be anywhere near as common as we previously believed. The A2 milk is naturally free from A1 proteins and comes from cows which produce only A2 milk. So there is nothing added or removed from the milk. The research in full is published in Nutrition Journal.

Please note however that a2 milk may not be suitable for anyone with severe lactose intolerance and always consult your medical professional if you are unsure! 

It is not for our house unfortunately as the boys have cows’ milk protein allergies, but it looks like this new research may allow some people to drink cows’ milk again. The A2 milk tastes the same as A1 milk and is natural. It is currently available widely in the UK. It is not available in Ireland at the moment but you can order the long life semi skimmed from Amazon.co.uk. You can read more about the study on the a2 website.

I would love to hear from you if you have a sensitivity to dairy or were diagnosed with lactose intolerance and have tried this milk? How did you get on?

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post in collaboration with A2 Milk. The post is written by me and all opinions expressed as always are my own. The research in full is published in UK Journal – Nutrition Journal.