a2 milk™ Research / Benefits

Introduction

In the 1980s Professor Bob Elliott of the University of Auckland's School of Medicine noticed that Samoan children coming to live in New Zealand had a much higher incidence of type 1 diabetes than those who remained in Samoa. His investigation into this observation led to the current focus on the beta casein component of cows' milk.

In the 1990's Dr Corran McLachlan was invited to conduct an independent assessment of the study and was struck by a further observation, that there also existed a potential link between the predominant beta casein type in a populations milk source and the rate of heart disease.

Linkages and relationships between beta casein type and a number of diseases or conditions have since been published, and are reviewed to a large extent in this section of the A2 Corporation website.

In April 2003, in response to questions raised publicly about the claimed health effects imparted by the digested beta casein variants, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority commissioned a review of the scientific literature relating to the A2 hypothesis.

Based on a foundation of over 50 peer reviewed scientific studies, A2 Corporation presents a2 milk™ as a value-added product about which a number of claims can safely be made with regard to its potential benefits to consumers. However, due to the likelihood of misinterpretation of claims, it is essential that great care be taken to avoid generalising relationships or linkages without qualification.

Casein Types and Linkages to Human Conditions

It can be generalized that there are four types of research or studies which serve to support the hypotheses linking beta casein type with the relative risk of the development of type 1 diabetes (T1D), ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and the aggravation of neurological disorders.

Due to the complexity of the conditions linked to the consumption of a2 milk™ (or A1 & A2 beta caseins) and the current position of published research one cannot unequivocally state a health benefit outside of that of standard milk, nor state a causative link between specific beta casein variants and human health conditions.

i) Epidemiological.

Epidemiology is a field of research medicine concerned with the determination of causes, incidence, and characteristic behavior of disease outbreaks affecting human populations. It includes the interrelationships of host, agent, and environment as related to the distribution and control of disease.

Numerous epidemiological studies across over a dozen 'developed' nations as well as within regions of Germany and Scandinavia suggest a strong correlation between the consumption of beta casein A1 (excluded from a2 milk™) and the incidence of Type 1 diabetes in male children and the death rate owing to IHD.

ii) Animal feeding trials,

There are a number of published papers relating to A1/A2 feeding of mouse models of T1D. A number of them support the hypotheses linking A1 with the development of T1D, however there is a published 'multi-centre' international A1/A2 feeding trial showed no conclusive difference between groups fed the two beta casein types. The latter reported research was subsequently reported to have its diets compromised by way of contamination of control and A2 diets with the putative A1 derived damage agent, BCM-7.

An A2 Corp commissioned A1/A2 rabbit feeding trial showed that A1 consumption lead to arterial damage, whereas A2 did not, thus supporting the epidemiologically derived hypothesis linking A1 with the biological processes leading to IHD.

iii) BCM-7 Studies

BCM-7 is reported as preferentially yielded from A1 but not A2. A large number of studies have centered on this protein fragment (peptide), and it is well established 'bioactive' (molecule with biological activity). BCM-7 has been clearly demonstrated to have opioid activity, immunomodulatory [1] properties and the ability to oxidise LDL [2]. These properties can be aligned with the hypotheses linking A1 to aggravation of neurological conditions, T1D and IHD, respectively.

A number of experiments have shown that the introduction of BCM-7 into rats results in behaviours consistent with the hypothesis that links A1 with aggravation of neurological conditions. Additionally,studies showing that opiate blockers stop these behaviours, the mechanism of action can be attributed to the opioid properties. It is of note that the gut has opiate receptors, which agrees with the observation that casein consumption retards gut transit time through BCM-7.

Though BCM-7 has been detected in blood and urine of some humans, it is unknown in what conditions this partially digested fragment can enter circulation. Indeed, this is an area lighted upon by many critics of A2 who have sometimes inaccurately contended that this has not been observed.

iv) Human Dietary and Nutritional Studies

Despite the numerous epidemiological studies currently there is no published research on the differential feeding of A1 and A2 caseins to human subjects. Furthermore, A2 Corp is not aware of any non-partisan research being undertaken in this area.

Studies have however been undertaken on the consumption of total casein, which contains all casein subtypes, and the aggravation of neurological disorders. All such studies identify BCM-7 as the putative causative agent on the virtue of its known yield, absorption and biological activity. This hypothesis is further supported by the detection of BCM-7 in the urine of human ASD patients, underscoring that consumption of A1 has the potential to yield, absorb and circulate BCM-7, a peptide with a well characterised bioactivity

Glossary

[1] The ability to elicit a biological response (a 'respiratory burst') from human immune cells.

[2] Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) refers to a class and range of lipoprotein particles, varying somewhat in their size and contents, which carry cholesterol in the blood and around the body, for use by various cells. It has been shown that oxidised LDL is involved in the very early yet critical steps of arterial plaque formation.