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Cow milk has been used globally for its nutritive and medicinal values in all age groups. There are references on cow milk in
ancient Vedas. Ayurveda, the Indian system of medicine, has described in detail the innumerable benefits of cow milk. Charaka
(200 B.C.), describes the following properties of cow milk:
“Svadu, sheeta, mridu, snigdha, bahula, shlakshna, pichcchil, guru, manda, and prasanna Dashaguna…” “Cow’s milk has 10
properties: sweet, cold, soft, unctuous, dense, smooth, viscous, heavy, slow and pleasing.” It is said to enhance tissues and
immune resistance. Many cow products are used for their health promoting, disease-preventing and therapeutic purposes. Besides
its nutritive use, milk and milk products are used in conjunction with medicines to enhance their pharmacokinetic and dynamic
benefits. In Ayurvedic rejuvenation programmes, milk is central to tissue regeneration. It contains many beneficial proteins,
hormones, growth factors, vitamins and minerals.
Cow milk is constituted of Water – 87%, Carbohydrate (Lactose) – 4.8%, Fat – 4%, Protein (Casein, Whey, Glycoprotein) – 3.4%,
Minerals (Ca, K, I) – 0.8%, and Vitamins (A, B2, B12). Casein forms about 80% and whey protein forms about 20% of the total
protein content in the milk. Glycoproteins are found in trace fractions. Thus, casein becomes a major source for supply of all
essential amino acids (except sulphur-containing amino acids - methionine and cysteine).1 Based on the DNA sequence, casein is
classified into four types viz, aS1, aS2, ß, ?. Milk contains lactoferrin that is microbicidal. Mother’s milk helps in establishing healthy
microbiome of the gastrointestinal tract.
Figure 1.
Health Hazards Due to A1 Milk
It was in the 1990s that this hypothesis of A1 type of beta casein as a risk factor, was
developed by R B Elliot for various diseases. He found that children in Polynesian islands,
with an access only to A2 type were at lower risk of Diabetes type 1 than Polynesian
children in Auckland who were on A1 type of milk. He further confirmed his hypothesis by in
vivo experiments on non-obese diabetic mice. Similarly McLachlan CNS, also in Auckland,
found a direct correlation between the mortality rates from coronary heart disease in 16
countries with their national A1 ß-casein consumption (g/day).
Indian study by Mishra et al has reported the status of beta casein gene in native Indian
cows. From Table 2 it can be seen that, except for Maland Gidda and Kherigarh breeds, all
the native cow breeds (Milch as well as non-milch cows) are pure A2 type3. Hence native
Indian cows should be pure-bred, chosen, protected and increased in number.
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/print.asp?articleid=37729 02-09-2015
Indian Breed Cow Milk - Powerhouse of Health Page 2 of 2
The demand for Indian cattle (Type 2 milk) is rising in many countries like Australia, Brazil, Africa, South America and Southeast
Asia. A news report titled “Climate change spurs positive for India:Overseas demand for indigenous cattle rises” (dated: Nov. 11,
2014) states that Gir and Ongole cows are economically very profitable. Indian exports of embryos of A2 genotypes is a lucrative
business. High quality semen of Bazilian Gir bulls is imported for artificial insemination and enhancement of the local high milk-
yielding breeds.
India is the No. 1 in milk production in the world—thanks to the white revolution ushered in at Anand by Kurien. But India should be
the world leader in providing pure Type A2 variety milch cows and their milk. This could lead to not only a major source of income
for the country but also stem the pandemic of diabesity and cancer in India. But the sad plight is that Gujarat has around 3,000 pure
breed Gir cows left and Brazil has emerged as the world's biggest supplier of improved cattle embryos and semen of Indian origin.
The Government of India and the stakeholders need a dynamic strategy to address the problem.
The ways to increase the milk productivity of Indian cow breeds, shown earlier, should be revived. The British rulers and merchants
exported Indian cattle breeds to their other imperial colonies almost a century ago. It is now a well-documented fact that the milk
productivity of those cows is approximately three times more than that of the average of Indian cows present in India.
Looking at the health risks associated with the A1 type of milk, the nutra and the dairy industry should first analyse the raw
materials for the milk products for the A1 or A2 type of milk. Regulations can be considered to permit only A2 type milk. Simple
tests must be evolved for the detection of A1 and A2 ß casein in India. In addition, research has to explore the nature of milk
allergies and milk antigens. Our group has proposed a project of robust lacto-epidemiological studies to correlate the prevalence of
A1 casein related metabolic and other disorders.
Acknowledgements
Bombay Gorakshak Trust and Dr Rama Vaidya
References
1. III-Dairy-E-Casein-3; Available at http://nzic.org.nz/ChemProcesses/dairy/3E.pdf ; Last accessed on 22nd Feb 2015
2. A.F. Keating, T.J. Smith, R.P. Ross and M.T. Cairns. A note on the evaluation of a beta-casein variant in bovine breeds by allele-
specific PCR and relevance to ß-casomorphin. Irish Journal of Agricultural and Food Research 47: 99–104, 2008
3. Mishra et al. Status of milk protein, ß-casein variants among India milch animals, Indian J. Animal Sciences, 2009;79(7):722 -
725.
4. Henna Hamadani et al , Breeds of cattle and buffalo in India, Available at http://en.engormix.com/MA-dairy-
cattle/genetic/articles/breeds-cattle-buffalo-india-t2420/103-p0.htm ; Last accessed on 23rd Feb 2015
(De is junior research fellow, Paradkar is senior research fellow, and Vaidya is research director at Medical Research Centre,
Kasturba Health Society, Mumbai. They can be reached at supde2003@gmail.com, prajakta.hsp@gmail.comand
ashokdbv@gmail.comrespectively)
http://www.fnbnews.com/article/print.asp?articleid=37729
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