On Monday Septemeber 8th, FIVE NEWS highlighted a concern about the avialability of A2 milk, proven to have beneficial effects for children on the autism specturm.
FIVE LIVE website reports;
Find out how one type of cow’s milk can help with the effects of autism. But it’s not easy to get hold of.
We all know that our milk here in the UK primarily comes from cows. But one special kind of cow’s milk can help with the effects of autism.
Yet getting your hands on this kind of treatment isn’t as easy as popping down to the shops to buy a pint.
You might think milk from one cow would be much like milk from any other. But actually different breeds make milk that contains distinct varieties of milk proteins. Most milk sold in Britain comes from cows producing a form of of protein called betacasein A1, But these Guernsey cows mostly produce a different type, betacasein A2.
The research is still hotly debated, some scientists believe drinking A1 milk may worsen the symptoms of autism: so switching to A2 milk could help improve the conditions.
The number of Guernsey herds like this one on the UK mainland is tiny, making the A2 milk they produce very hard to get hold of.
And in the UK – there just hasn’t been sufficient interest in doing research that might make A2 milk more popular.
You can watch the FIVE NEWS tv report by Catherine Jones, which shows a families experience, through the following link;
You can find A2 milk at these places:
Prosperous Home Farm, Berkshire, 01488 684557
Hurdlebrook Farm, Somerset, 01458 223229
Suffolk Farmhouse Cheese, Suffolk, 01473 836996
Kingston Brook Farm, Loughborough, 01509 881098
Higher Murchington Farm, Devon, 01647 433170
Tiresford Guersney Gold Farm, Cheshire, 01829 734080
Kelsmor Farm, Hereford, 01600 750685
Lacey’s Family Farm, South Buckinghamshire, 01494 881979
There is a website www.guernseya2milk.com that has been put together to provide information about the milk and the Guernsey milk suppliers
Some of our parents at I.T.S have researched where they can access A2 milk from and they have found a useful supplier;
http://www.abelandcole.co.ukThis is an organic company based in London, who can deliver supplies of milk to your doorstep on Friday’s. However on first enquiry they have only been able to provide skimmed milk, less suitaable for growing children. See below
READERS COMMENTS:
I noticed that with reference to Abel & Cole that the A2 milk they sell is only 70% Guernsey (A2) and is topped up with 30% Fresian (A1)(except for the skimmed milk which is 100% A2 but this is unsuitable for children anyway).
Helen Evans
Hi, You have a piece in your news section about the recent Channel 5 reports on the benefits of Guernsey milk for Autistic children. Whilst the link to the Channel 5 report is correct, your opening statement is wrong, in that it is the predominant presence of Beta Casein A1 protein in “ordinary” milk that is thought to be making symptoms of Autism worse. The simple change to Guernsey milk and milk products (naturally 95% Beta Casein A2) is making a difference. There is a website www.guernseya2milk.com that has been put together to provide information about the milk and the Guernsey milk suppliers.
Digby Gribble – Retired Dairy Farmer.
This has now been ammended- thankyou for this!
On September 3rd – FIVE LIVE reported The truth about Milk – by Alex Thomas
by Alex Thomas
The truth about milk
Wednesday, 03 September 2008
Dairy products are an important part of our diet, particularly for children, so the last thing I want to do is worry people about them.
But I have to say the research I’ve done into “A1” and “A2” milk is fascinating, and deserves the coverage we’ve given it today.
So, just to quickly explain, different breeds of cattle produce milk that contains slightly different proteins, and the one that’s got the scientific community really talking is called “beta-casein A1”.
That’s because eating this milk protein has been linked to:
- a higher risk of developing heart disease
- a higher risk of developing type 1 diabetes
- worsening the symptoms of schizophrenia
- and worsening the symptoms of autism, which is what I chose to focus on.
I must stress the research community is still deeply divided on whether these problems really are caused by A1 milk, and many studies that looked very convincing have been subsequently discredited. Have a look at this link if you’re interested in knowing more about the scientific research that’s been done:
Anyway, the upshot is, if you want to avoid drinking A1 milk, but don’t want to cut out milk altogether, there is an alternative, something called A2 milk. You’ve guessed it, the protein is beta-casein A2 instead, which appears not to have the effects some scientists suggest A1 milk does.
We gave a special supply of A2 milk to Karla Byron, a little girl with autism, to see what might happen. She’d never had it before, so we really had no idea what the result of our experiment might be. As you’ll see in my report, the change in her behaviour was quite incredible. I’m actually rather proud of how we helped her!
However, getting hold of A2 milk is not easy. Most cows in the British dairy herd (Holstein cattle, the black and white ones) produce milk containing 70% A1 protein and 30% A2. So that’s what you get in the pint on your doorstep or a carton on the shop shelf.
Jersey cows produce milk with a different A1/A2 mix, it’s around half and half.
But Guernsey cow milk is almost completely A2 (actually it’s around 96% A2, although some herds have been bred to be 100%).
That means Breakfast milk or “Gold Top”, which is Jersey and Guernsey mixed together, might be worth a try. You’ll still get A1 milk in there, but a smaller proportion than in the ordinary stuff.
And sheep’s milk and goat’s milk don’t contain any A1 beta-casein at all.
So, if you want to try to cut out A1 almost completely, and if, like me, you can’t stand the taste of sheep or goat’s milk, the only real option therefore, is getting hold of pure Guernsey milk, preferably from herds that are 100% A2.
And unless you live on the island, that is actually extremely difficult, as there are very few herds on the mainland.
All I can suggest is you try to find your nearest Guernsey herd, make a trip, buy up as much as they’ve got, and freeze it. We’ve put a list of farms on the website to get you started, but they’re not the only ones. (Prosperous Farm, near Reading, has a herd that’s definitely 100% A2, by the way.)
In Australia, New Zealand and the USA, A2 milk has already taken off, and you can buy it easily. Perhaps once more research has been done, and once this issue gets more attention, A2 milk will eventually become as easily available here. All it would take is for a large distributor to get on board. Hey, Waitrose, Sainsbury’s, M&S, are you listening?!
If you have tried switiching to A2 milk and have had positive or negative experiences we would love to publish your comments on our site to share with other families.
Sarah Needham – Director of I.T.S November 2008
