Is A2 Milk Easier To Digest?

For long it has been an ongoing debate for dairy consumers – A1 vs A2 milk. Having said that, you must have come across some studies saying organic A2 milk is easier to digest and even suitable for lactose intolerant people, unlike A1 or other milk. Well, scientific research has found that to be somewhat true. However, before getting into the digestible abilities of different types of milk let us understand what is a2 milk and how is it different from the rest?

Conventionally, any cow milk consists of two types of proteins – casein and whey. And, casein makes up 80% of the protein content making it the differentiating factor. The cows producing A1 beta-casein, or A1 milk are mostly foreign or mixed breeds. Indigenous or Desi Indian cows produce milk with A2 beta-casein protein, hence the name A2 cow milk.

Genetically, a single amino acid mutation from proline to histidine changes A1 beta-casein to A2 beta-casein.

Now, what does it mean to us when drinking milk? When consumed A1 milk gets broken down into a peptide BCM-7 (beta-casomorphin-7) which slows down the gastrointestinal functions, making it difficult to digest and in some cases causing similar symptoms to lactose intolerance. These could be inflammation, gastrointestinal, abdominal pain, and high stool consistency. As per studies, BCM-7 is also linked to type-1 diabetes and heart diseases.

When drinking organic A2 milk, digestive enzymes in our gut cannot cleave A2 beta-casein, hence peptide fragment BCM-7 is not formed. Instead it contains proline, an easily digestible amino acid. This is one of the reasons why, it is said that A2 milk is easier to digest. And so lactose intolerant people don’t have to give up on dairy, as they are able to digest A2 beta-casein better.

Moreover, people drinking A2 cow milk have shown lower serum cholesterol, HDL, LDL and triglycerides. Along with being good for the heart, there are a plethora of health benefits of A2 milk. It has an abundance of calcium and magnesium minerals, which strengthens bone structure. Also, higher Vitamin D contents of a2 milk make it a perfect dietary component for growth and development.

A2 cow milk is majorly produced by Desi cow breeds or Gir cows in India. So, choose your dairy wisely and make the healthy move to organic A2 milk with Mr Milk. P.S. Interesting fact – human breast milk also contains only the A2 protein.