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🥩 Hello Meatlings,
Have you noticed A2 milk options at a grocer near you promising better digestibility? Is this true? What is A2 milk and what does it even mean? Don’t worry, I’ve got answers!
More than 95% of the proteins contained in cow’s milk consist of caseins and whey proteins. Caseins represent approximately 80% of total milk protein, and whey proteins represent about 20% β-casein can be either in A1 or A2 form and dairy cow breeds show different β-casein patterns in their milk. All cows produce at least some A2 β-casein, but certain breeds have predominantly A2 in their milk.
Dairy in the US primarily comes from Holstein (black and white) cows which are insanely good milk producers and they are a ratio of 50/50 A1/A2 protein. Guernsey, Jersey, Charolais, and Limousin breeds are predominantly A2 β-casein. Other animals, such as sheep, goats, buffalo, camels, donkeys, and yaks, also produce milk that mostly contains A2 β-casein.
So are there digestibility or health benefits to A2 dairy?
“When A1 milk is consumed and reaches the human stomach, enzymatic digestion by gastric enzymes, such as pepsin, pancreatic elastase, and leucine aminopeptidase, would yield BCM-7 in an approximate proportion of 4 mg of BCM-7 released in the human jejunum from 30 g of A1 β-casein, which is related to increased inflammation and gastrointestinal discomfort [13,17]. This inflammation and discomfort derived from the digestion of A1 milk could explain the dairy intolerance that many individuals perceive as lactose or milk intolerance [13,16]. BCM-7 is also known to induce the production of mucins (the sticky proteins of mucus) [77], which provides a logical explanation as to why many people associate milk with mucus production.
After the intake of milk or dairy foods containing β-casein A1, it produces BCM-7 which binds with µ-opioid receptors and are responsible for pain or thirst, in the walls of the gastrointestinal tract and nervous system of consumers. In contrast, A2 milk consumption has been shown to increase the natural production of glutathione, which shows antioxidant activity and, consequently, health benefits. Recently, other reviews [15,58,59,60] concluded that human-based published evidence provided moderate certainty for the adverse digestive health effects of A1 β-casein compared with A2 β-casein, but only indications and not conclusive evidence for the relation with other health effects (source).”
If you have time, I highly recommend reading the referenced source, as it also examines A1 and A2 comparisons and their potential role in protecting, contributing or being neutral for medical conditions like Type 2 Diabetes, Cardiovascular Disease and Neurological Disorders.
Some great products and brands offering A2 dairy:
Alexandre regenerative dairy
Bellwether Farms and the most delicious sheep yogurt
Manchego cheese a similar but better version of parmesan
Other ways to try A2 dairy: goats feta or chevre + buffalo mozzarella.
✌🏻 and ribeyes,
Miranda Ebner MS, LN and The Yes2Meat Team
📰 News & 🔬 Research
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🐄 The modern Hollstein-Friesian cross produces 22,530 pounds of milk annually, ten times a heritage breed on traditional feed today. When you can’t scale a cow any further, you enter the lab and try to scale ground up mushrooms and chemicals, and have an IPO around it. In the 1970s, being vegan was anti-corporate, but today it’s been flipped on its head, becoming a weaponized ideology for ultra-processed foods.
📉 Beyond Meat, Impossible Burger, and Oatly are some of the worst investments of the past decade, as consumers slowly woke up to the fact that they were eating chow made for lab rats. The next wave of food products to secure funding and take their stab at market dominance are lab-grown, fermented, cultured, and genetically modified attempts at meat and fat. Lab-grown food companies are fighting a tough battle as they are currently more expensive than animal products with no clear message to deliver to the consumer about health benefits. Either reach scale and get cheaper than meat or foment ethical hysteria around cow farts.
💵 Americans spend a lower percentage of their income today on food than at any point in history and less than any country on Earth. In 1900, families spent about 40% of their income on food, but by 1950 it was just under 30%. In 2013, the average American household spent about 10% of its budget on food.
🚗 Canola Oil is Repurposed Motor Oil, NOT a Food for Humans. Canola oil is found everywhere in our food supply. From the prepared meals at Whole Foods to salad dressings, breakfast cereals, cookies, crackers, and treats, most people are eating lots of this microplastic-enriched oil. The food industry has concealed the true history of canola oil: it’s repurposed motor oil that’s actually toxic to humans.
😆 The recent study comparing a diet full or oreos lowers LDL levels more than statins helps highlight that the mainstream, simplistic view of LDL is probably wrong.
🎥 Must Watch
Truthful information about seed oils being bad for our health is being censored. Listen to Paul Saladino push back against these claims of misinformation, and you can listen to him dismantle the fact checkers right here (this one gets a little technical).
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When I heard about the Alexandre Family Farm and The a2 Milk Company, I thought, "Ghee, this is a casein which there is an udderly simple whey to improve my health!" Therefore, I started buying their A2 products. I expect it was a gouda decision.
This makes me wonder if I should dig deeper on the whey protein isolate I supplement for strength training, if it is from A2 producing cows. It doesn’t seem like there are many such products out there that specify being A2 🤔