Confused about Dairy Milk Choices containing the a2 Protein?

Drink more milk, eat more yoghurt and enjoy more cheese – but how do you choose with so many options, nutritional benefits and price wars!

Dairy milk is one of the richest food sources of calcium and also provides many other important nutrients…but can be confusing when it comes to the proteins in milk.  There has been a lot of noise lately about dairy milk especially about the A2 protein.

Here, we unravel the story of A2 protein and why so many people are talking about a2 Milk.

Firstly, all regular dairy milk brands today contain a combination of two main types of beta-casein protein, A1 and A2.  a2 Milk is special because it is the only exception to this.  What makes a2 Milk different is actually the absence of the A1 protein and it is the A1 protein that many people seek to avoid by switching from regular dairy milk to a2 Milk.  a2 Milk is the only brand of dairy milk that comes from cows specially selected to naturally produce milk containing only the A2 protein and not the A1 protein.

For the unique benefits of a2 Milk to work, it needs to be the real deal – pure a2 Milk, containing only the A2 type of beta-casein protein and naturally free of A1 protein.

So, why is it that people want to avoid the A1 protein found in regular dairy milk?

Many children and adults suffer from tummy troubles when drinking regular dairy milk due to the presence of the A1 protein.  By making the switch to a2 Milk, which only contains the A2 protein, they have been able to enjoy the benefits of dairy again.

From personal experience, my 4 year old always complained of an upset tummy after consuming dairy, especially when ordering her favourite milkshake at our local café…then I was introduced to a2 Milk at a new café that exclusively uses a2 Milk and, to my surprise, my daughter didn’t experience her usual tummy upset after drinking a milkshake there. We then made the switch at home and have not looked back.

So, the confusion arises when making your choice between brands in the milk aisle. Some brands make claim that their milk ‘naturally contains A2 protein’, however, when you read the back of the label it contains around 40% of the troublesome A1 protein. Many mums with children like my daughter who have experienced a digestive benefit by avoiding the A1 protein found in regular dairy milk, might not find this out until it’s too late.

Did you know?

The protein content in dairy milk is comprised from two main groups: whey (around 20% of total protein) and casein (around 80% of total protein).  Beta-casein is one of the 3 major casein proteins in milk and makes up about one third of the total protein in milk.

Dr. Ross Walker explains the difference between A1 and A2 milk and what it means for your health see video.

So how do you make the decision easier when purchasing your milk?

Here we look at 4 leading full cream milk brands on the market to compare…