Heather Bedard, C.H.E.
Many people who drink milk and have GI discomfort afterward complain of what is known as lactose intolerance. You’ll probably be surprised to know that as much as 75% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant. I love the dairy industry’s reaction to this, instead of not eating dairy, let’s just change the products so that people can still drink/eat them. So, now instead of stopping the promotion of milk products, we have lactose-free milk...even more processed than regular milk.
Casein is a protein that makes up about 80% of the content of milk. There are many different types of casein, but the two most common are, A1 beta-casein and A2 beta-casein. Many people believe that the mechanism of action for lactose intolerance is the A1 protein.[1]
People will then ask; can I drink milk that is lactose free or A1 free? You could, I suppose, but it still doesn’t deal with the underlying factor that the other proteins and constituents in milk, are not made for YOU and the way your body digests food.
--------------------- [1] Astley, Mark. “Positive association between A1 Protein and stomach pain: Study.” Food Navigator. August 14 2014.