A1, A2, A-What? A Discussion onMilk Proteins.

To test or not to test, is that the question? 

If you are in the mini jersey world you have likely heard of A2/A2 and milk proteins. But what does it really mean and where did that really come from? Is there really science to back that up? These are all really good questions. There is so much information out there and, not unlike many other things, there is also a great deal of mis-information out there.  There are those that fully prescribe to the A2/A2 school of thought and those that don’t. There are also many who believe it is not the proteins in milk that make the difference, but the actual differences in commercially collected milk that undergoes the pasteurization and homogenization processes versus raw milk itself regardless of proteins that really makes the difference.  For the vast majority, it actually seems that it is the difference between commercially produced milk and raw milk that makes the biggest difference.  

I’ll pause here and state as I have in other blog posts . . . there is a lot of science behind these things and I am a farmer, not a scientist. The thoughts herein are my opinions and based on the science and other research I have done as I understand it . . . you may now proceed with reading . . . here we go . . .

So, what is A2/A2 anyway? It’s a protein. And the difference between A1 and A2 milk is just one protein, in fact. How do we know what kind of milk a cow will produce? That, at least, is the one simple question to answer. We test for it. Tail hairs from the cow can be sent to UC Davis and a few other places to have genomic testing done to see what proteins are possible from that particular cow’s milk. Both cows and bulls each pass down 1 protein to a calf. This means that an A2/A2 cow bred to an A2/A2 bull will always give you an A2/A2 calf. An A2/A2 cow bred to an A1/A1 bull will always give you an A2/A1 calf.  But an A1/A2 cow and A1/A2 bull, or any other types of combination you can come up with, can give you different combinations of proteins depending on which genetic trait was passed on to their offspring.  

As far as the rest of the questions that surround this highly debatable topic it is really up to the individual to decide for themselves.  You have to do the research.  And when doing such research you have to make sure you ask yourself these questions:  Who/What/When/Where/Why?

Who wrote the article you are about to read?  

What did they base their facts and findings on?  

When was that article written and has newer research changed those outcomes since then?  

Where are their findings published?  

Why did they write the article in the first place?  

I think often we read things online and assume that the person who wrote it actually knows what they are talking about. Especially when the article is thoughtful and provides details. But do they truly know? Is it really fact based or is it opinion? Is the person writing it qualified to do so or have they done the research and can back up their findings with testing and science? Often times they can’t. So, the first thing to do when you are researching this topic is look and see who wrote it.  Google their name and see what their credentials are. Did you know that the origins of the A2/A2 conversation all started with a theory written by someone? Just a theory. And that theory hasn’t actually been proven scientifically at all. When an article was written and published says a lot as well.  Science evolves. Testing abilities evolve. The biggest one to me is the “why” question. Why did they write their article? Many times, articles are written from only one point of view to support a cause and to align the research presented to support that cause. That doesn’t mean it’s the only research out there and thus can be biased and not present the other side of the story.  Many times research is done and published and articles written allllll funded by the corporation that has the most interest in the outcome, thereby potentially swaying the argument . . . see where I’m goin with this?  
With all of that said – what does that mean?  It means the actual biggest answer to this question is that we really just don’t know.  The quick facts are that there just isn’t enough data to conclusively say these proteins make a difference.  But there is enough data however to say raw milk is different than commercially produced milk.  So, let’s just start there.  Unless you have someone in your family that has been tested for a specific milk protein intolerance, odds are this is a non-issue for you anyway.  So don’t get too bogged down in the studies unless you have to! 

Again, it all comes down to the individual.  Are there people out there that can’t tolerate the A2 protein? Sure there are! Just like there is someone out there that is allergic or intolerant of anything else (just fill in the blank - like marshmallows - I bet there is someone allergic to those somewhere in the world!). Is this the vast majority of people? No, its not. If it was the vast majority of people, then you would see the entire commercial industry changing. For instance, there are enough people out there that are allergic to milk in general that the soy and almond milk industries came into play.  But there are also people out there that are allergic to marshmallows (bless their heart, that would be awful!). But not enough people that there is an industry for marshmallow substitutes. I hope this helps to break down the A2 discussion and keep it a little more simple. 

In summation, while we do test for these proteins because it is such a widely discussed topic and there are those that need to know for one reason or the other, for us, we tend to fall into the school of thought that the biggest difference is commercial versus raw. This is just our opinion based on the available scientific research done by trusted sources.  It is also based on our experience.  My husband is lactose intolerant yet has no issues with our raw milk from right here on our farm.  

If this is you, and you are one of the few that truly can’t tolerate the A2 protein, then we absolutely want to help match you to an A2/A2 calf.  

If this is not you and you just want to get away from the commercially produced things out there as much as you can, then we also want to help you find the perfect family cow to provide for your family.  

Regardless of where you stand on this issue, we’re here to help. We also encourage you to do your research if this subject matters to you.  When more research becomes available, read that too.  We follow as many of the scientific journals and colleges doing this research as we can to stay as informed as possible. 

Until something changes in that research, we will offer the best quality bloodlines in cattle to produce hardy and healthy calves to help Homesteaders reach their goals, whatever that might be.

As always, feel free to reach out if you have questions. If we don’t know the answer, we’ll sure try to help you find it.

God bless and happy homesteading!