What does A1 and A2 milk mean?!

A1? A2? I didn’t know that milk had numbers and letters!!!

I’m learning a lot on my diary and farm journey. It turns out that A1 and A2 really make a significant difference on many levels. Drinking raw milk alone is not the answer. I have seen first-hand the difference that drinking A2 milk has made in many friends’ lives. For instance, one woman hasn’t been able to drink milk for 30 years. She got over her fear of what milk has done to her in the past and tried milk from Buffalo Valley Pastures. She had no symptoms for the first time! A man with diabetes claims that the A2 milk lowered his blood sugar. A 4-year-old girl is now able to drink milk without stomach aches. What is going on with this A2 milk? It’s amazing that milk can look pretty much the same no matter where it comes from, but when you dig deep into the details, it’s a whole other world. 

Regular store milk contains A1 and A2 forms of beta-casein. A2 milk only has A2 beta-casein. What is beta-casein? It’s a major protein component in milk. A1 beta-casein produces a small 7 amino-acid peptide chain, called BCM-7. During digestion, BCM-7 causes inflammation in the gut. We all know the importance of having a healthy gut! BCM-7 can escape the leaky gut and get into the blood stream along with yeast and bacteria, which causes systemic inflammation. Many ailments and diseases are caused by systemic inflammation such at Type-1 diabetes and cardiovascular diseases. BCM-7 can also cause symptoms similar to lactose intolerance and IBS. Some people who experience lactose intolerance are not actually allergic to the lactose. It’s the BCM-7 that they are allergic to. ADHD is also exacerbated by BCM-7. It has opioid properties and can fill opiate receptors in the gut and brain. ADHD symptoms can lessen when A1 dairy is replaced with A2. If you have issues with inflammation, give A2 milk a try and see what it does for you! I have personally seen A2 milk for sale in the grocery store a couple of times. If you are able to find A2 milk in the store, it may be pasteurized, non-organic and fed GMO grain or soy. The source of the cow's energy and proteins can make a big difference in what the cow produces. That's a blog for another week!

Since A2 milk is better for you, why isn't it number 1? It's only called A1 because it was discovered first. A2 was discovered after, not too long ago in the year 2000. You may be asking yourself where does the A1 and A2 difference even start. It all starts at the gene level of the animal. Buffalo, sheep, goats and even humans produce milk that contains mostly A2. There are certain breeds of cows that produce the A2 protein, as well. These breeds include Guernsey, Jersey, Charolais and Limousin breeds. It is believed that thousands of years ago, European farmers cross bred their cows to produce higher volumes of milk and there was a gene mutation which resulted in A1 beta-casein. Holstein cows produce a mix of A1 and A2. Holsteins make up 90% of the United States dairy population.  They are popular because they adapt well to a variety of living conditions and produce high volumes of milk everyday. It's an easy business decision for a farmer who wants to make more money with less effort. Nearly all milk and dairy products from the store are made with A1 milk. Just think, all the ice cream, cheeses and yogurts have the ability to cause inflammation and irritation to the body and keep some people sick.  

It’s amazing that these little numbers and letters that we hardly ever hear about carry so much weight when it comes to our health. David, the farmer at Buffalo Valley Pastures has all of his cows tested for A2 beta-casein. All of his water buffalo naturally only produce A2. You can be sure that when you buy products from our farm (cheese, yogurt, cream, etc.) it is all A2! We hope that our products improve your quality of life.

“What is A2 Milk and Why Should I Drink it Instead of ‘Regular’ Milk?”, Be Whole Again Farm

https://bewholeagainfarm.com/a2-milk/ 2022. Accessed Feb 10, 2022

Otter, Don and Anderson, Shelby. “Five things everyone should know about… A2 milk.” Wisconsin State Farmer.

UW-Madison CALS. July 3, 2019. Accessed Feb 10, 2022.

https://www.wisfarmer.com/story/news/2019/07/03/five-things-everyone-should-know-about-a-2-milk/1642645001/