Brits are binning cows milk with confusion
Dairy and lactose intolerances are confusing more than a quarter of people in the UK, yet almost 10 million have banished cows’ milk from your diet, losing out on many health benefits of dairy, according to new research.
In response to stomach issues being the most common health ailment for almost half of Brits, one in five believe they have a food or drink intolerance. Milk is considered the main cause of digestive discomfort with symptoms including excess wind, constipation and bloating.
While 38% visit a GP, over half rely on self-diagnosis. For these, some turn to their friends and family to compare symptoms, others ‘just think’ they are intolerant, but the majority seek advice and diagnosis through the internet. The concern for The a2 Milk Company who conducted the research, is how regularly people associate lactose with all things milk, often resulting in self-misdiagnosis.
Whilst lactose, the sugar in milk, is often thought to be the problem, in reality only 5% have a lactose intolerance. In the majority of cases, digestive issues can be caused by an intolerance to the A1 protein. For these people just a simple switch to a2 Milk, which naturally only contains the A2 protein and not the A1 protein, could help solve the problem forever.
Dr Hilary Jones, TV doctor, said: "Many people who struggle to digest dairy often believe they are lactose intolerant. However this is very infrequently the case. A more common reason is in fact the protein in the milk. The A2 protein is less likely to cause digestive discomfort. This has important implications for people with IBS, people who have been reluctantly avoiding milk because of associated intolerance symptoms that are not related to lactose and of course anybody who has noticed minor unexplained consequences of consuming milk.”
The new research also reveals that it is not just one person being affected by their perceived food intolerance – often their whole family has to follow suit to make life easier. Over 1 in 4 surveyed admit they cut cows’ milk from the entire household to avoid having to buy both dairy and an alternative, and therefore denying other family members of the nutritional benefits of milk.
Scott Wotherspoon, CEO of The a2 Milk Company, said: “Too many of us assume that bloating or stomach cramps are a part of our everyday modern lifestyles, so we don’t do anything about them. If you suspect milk is the issue, you may simply be struggling to digest the A1 protein. A1 is the component in milk, other than lactose, that can cause an intolerance. a2 Milk can help solve that because it naturally contains the A2 protein, proven to be much gentler on the stomach. With a2 Milk, millions of people could now enjoy the many health benefits, great taste and versatility of milk, without the tummy upsets.”
In 2014, the first ever human digestion clinical trial, led by Professor Sebely Pal at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, compared the impact of the commonly consumed A1 protein to that of A2 protein. Scores for bloating were 61% higher and scores for abdominal pain went up 38% when drinking the A1 protein milk versus the A2 protein, amongst a group of people who said they were dairy intolerant. The peer-reviewed research was published in the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
Originally all cows produced just the A2 protein. The A1 protein emerged in European herds thousands of years ago through domestication and is now present in cows’ milk found in the majority of our fridges. It is this A1 protein that is commonly associated with digestive difficulties and is a major catalyst for the 1 in 5 Brits who believe they have an intolerance to milk. All mammals, including humans, produce A2 protein milk, proving that it is the gold standard in milk.
The a2 Milk Company launched in the UK in 2012 and has already set up a portfolio of around 20 farms that naturally produce milk containing only the A2 protein. The A2 farmers, who are paid a premium to rear their specially selected A2 cows, are based mainly in North Wales, Shropshire, Cheshire and The Peak District.