This is from a May 2010 blog post by Keith Woodford, author of the book “Devil in the Milk“, which is about the health issues surrounding A1 milk, and the advantages of A2 milk. In this post he reports on a company marketing a product designed to enhance and build on A1 milk’s morphine-like properties. They market it as “Sleep Time Milk”, so far only in Singapore. Here is an excerpt from Keith’s post titled: “Sleep Time Milk and BCM7“:
Guy Wills, Somnaceutics CEO (fourth from left) and Graeme Clegg, New Image Chairman (fifth from left) at the Taiwanese launch of Sleeptime last month. Picture from the Somnaceutics website.
“In recent days some media have been reporting on a new product called ‘sleeptime milk’. So far it is only being marketed in Taiwan where, according to New Zealand marketer New Image Group, they have been “stunned” by consumer interest.
New Image Group is a publicly listed New Zealand company that markets health and wellness products internationally, particularly in Asia. New Image Group direct-sells products to consumers via agents, and does not use retail stores. Its major product to date has been cows’ milk colostrum.
According to New Image Group, they are thinking of expanding into Malaysia, and further down the track there is a prospect it will be marketed in New Zealand. They have already won an award from the Cawthron Institute for export innovation. So what is this ‘sleeptime milk’, sometimes also more simply called ‘sleep milk’?
The press release from New Image Group says that it comes from a particular type of cow. It is sold as a powder to which water is added. The key message is that it helps induce sleep in adults that are suffering from insomnia. The press release is available from various sources including the New Image Asia website (http://www.newimageasia.com/en/about-new-image/news/122-taiwanese-launch-of-sleeptime)….”
“….Searching on the web for the relevant patents held by Somnaceutics provides the technical details submitted for patent registration. They are registered widely across the world, including Europe and the United States. The American site is http://www.faqs.org/patents/app/20100130406.
It is laid out in the patent that the special cows are what are known as A1 cows, i.e. they have double copies of the A1 variant of the beta-casein gene. Hence all of their beta-casein is A1 beta-casein. Ascorbic acid is added to the milk (with lactose and fat removed) and the product is heat treated. The ascorbic acid and the heat treatment are to minimise the breakdown of BCM7 (beta-casomorphin-7) which is released from A1 beta-casein.
The patent is very clear that this is about maximizing the effect of BCM7.
Readers of my book ‘Devil in the Milk’ will know that BCM7 is the devil that I write about. Readers will also know that BCM7 is an opioid, hence the name ‘casomorphin’, whose effects include reduced respiration rates in young animals. In my book, drawing on more than 100 scientific papers, I lay out the evidence linking BCM7 to Type 1 diabetes, heart disease, symptoms of autism, and various other auto immune conditions.
According to the New Image Group they have both clinical and consumer evidence that their product works. I have not been able to find the published data of the clinical trials, but it would not be at all surprising if it did indeed work. This is particularly so for people who are stressed, or who for other reasons might have a ‘leaky gut’ that allows peptides to pass through to the blood and from there to the brain.
The Sleepytime Milk product packaging.
According to the press release, consumers particularly like the product because of its natural base. There is no mention in the press release that the key component is an opioid, and that it has been linked in the scientific literature to various health conditions. However, the American version of the patent (and perhaps other versions) does say: “this invention should be used with care by the elderly or by diabetics or by persons undergoing dialysis. Preferably the soporific product is sold with a recommended dose statement and with a warning against carrying out risky actions such as driving or operating machinery for a time after consuming the product”. It is not clear from the press release whether this message is carried on the packaging.
I have been aware of this patent for many months, but until now had not followed up the details. This was because, although there is no health-related legal constraint, I did not see how anyone could make a marketable food product based on BCM7. In contrast, I have long been an enthusiast for A2 milk, which does not contain the A1 beta-casein which releases BCM7. In fact the absence of A1 beta-casein is what makes A2 milk distinctive. Originally all milk was A2 until a mutation occurred that has affected many European cows….”
Read the whole post on Keith’s blog.
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There is obviously a genetic component here. I only drink raw milk from an organic Amish farm. It’s all A1. Zero symptoms. In fact quite the opposite. Since I started drinking it over 5 years ago my IBS is a faded memory. My immune system has never been better. It amazes me that with so much genetic diversity along with the science of epigenetics (whether a gene is turned on or off) someone could broadly demonize a particular variety of food as bad for everyone 100% of the time. It would too expensive and impractical to apply any form of scientific methodology to such a large number of variables involved. Which is why we are left with nothing more than speculation and zero hard facts. There will likely never be the obvious reasons stated above.
A1 vs A2 Response from Organic Pastures
http://a1vsa2milk.blogspot.com/
Mark McAfee wrote several years ago (thecompletepatient.com):
For all of the A-2 followers out there….
The A-2 Corp, years ago courted OPDC and OPDC said “no”. The A-2 Corp required all raw milk that they tested and sold to be pasteurized under their brand. Their ideas were so good and made so much difference that they went bankrupt in North America.
A-2 pasteurized milk caused all sorts of allergies and serious lactose intolerance just like any CAFO processed milk anywhere. Dr. Tom Cowan even told me that he was sorry for writing “the forward to the book” before he knew what he knows now.
The problem with A-2 followers is that they do not think for themselves and believe everything they read “hook line and sinker”….they just follow unconfirmed, unverified writings done by two guys ( now dead ) from New Zealand. If A1 ( or Mixed A-2 and A1 milk like OPDC raw milk… cause we can not get tested and do not know what we have exactly ) was so bad then why does grass fed raw organic milk do all the same great things that A-2 is supposed to do???
Mike schmidt is absolutely right…and I say that:
“The Devil is not in the Milk”….”The Devil is in the Feed, Conditions and the Processing!!!”.
Click to access A-2%20OPDC%20position.pdf
The jury is still out for sure….they will not be back either. The court was adjourned because there is no evidence or science. This has all the signs of a New Zealand scam.