A2 Milk easier to digest than regular milk, US study finds

A2 Milk has commissioned a study in the US to shore up support as it comes under pressure from investors.

The findings of Indiana’s Purdue University are important to A2 given its success has inspired a series of copycats. Picture: Peter Hemphill

The A2 Milk company has moved to stamp its legitimacy in the world’s biggest economy and fend off copycats, commissioning a US study that found consuming milk with only the A2 protein helped reduce bloating and abdominal discomfort.

The study, completed by Indiana’s Purdue University, found that milk with a blend of A2 and A1 beta casein proteins failed to deliver the same health benefit.

The findings are important to A2 — which has come under pressure from investors after the collapse of the Chinese daigou trade — given its success has inspired a series of copycats, which don’t have the patent-protected genetic test to isolate the protein.

This means that products claiming to contain A2 milk could also contain the A1 beta casein protein, which is found in most cows’ milk and has been linked to bloating and other abdominal discomfort.

The Purdue University study involved giving participants four types of milk: A2 Milk, with only A2 protein; Jersey cow milk, which has 25 per cent A1 protein; conventional milk with 75 per cent A1 protein; and lactose-free milk, which contained 40 per cent A2 protein.

Professor of nutrition at Purdue, Dennis Savaiano, said: “Individuals consuming the milk containing only A2 protein had significantly reduced stomach discomfort as compared to conventional milk.

“Overall gastrointestinal symptoms for abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence and diarrhoea were significantly decreased when consuming milk containing only A2 protein as compared to conventional milk,” Professor Savaiano said. “These studies indicate that A2 Milk works well for people of all ethnicities and it also may be a better option than conventional milk for some people who are lactose maldigesters.”

The commissioning of the US study underlines A2’s ambitions for the US market, on which former chief executive Geoffrey Babidge put an annual sales target of $US100m last year, although he did not specify when the company would hit that goal.

At the same time, the company has been aggressively defending its intellectual property in America, claiming Oklahoma-based fast food and “ice cream parlour” chain Braum’s has infringed on its trademark after launching its own range of A2-branded dairy products.

Braum’s has argued A2 is a generic term to describe a beta casein protein found in milk and it should be free to use it across Braum’s range of fresh and flavoured milk, which was launched in February and sells alongside crinkle-cut fries, hamburgers and fried chicken club sandwiches, saying it’s ­“easier on digestion”.

While A2 is a name of a protein, A2 Milk owns the patent for the test that can detect and isolate cows that only carry the A2 protein, eliminating the chances of A1 contamination.

It is a point the company is keen to highlight as it battles imitators from the likes of Nestle, Karicare, Cow & Gate, Junlebao and Mead Johnson.

The stakes are high for the company.

Since July its share price has dived more than 60 per cent to $7.90, with investors dumping the stock after COVID-19 travel ­restrictions triggered the collapse of the retail Chinese daigou trade, involving tourists and students buying products from Australian stores and sending back to China.

“The key point from this research is that in US populations milk that contains A1 protein will not have the same positive digestive impact for some people as milk that is A1 free,” said Blake Waltrip, the chief executive of A2’s US operations.

“The A2 Milk Company is the A2 protein pioneer and believes in its benefits.

“It is the only major dairy company in the US that produces products that only contain the A2 protein.”

Originally published as A2 Milk easier to digest than regular milk, US study finds