Associate Professor Louise Brough: Milk is a great food source. It\u2019s very nutritious and contains lots of things that we need, like the macronutrients, which provide energy, fat, carbohydrates, protein. <\/p>\n
But it also contains lots of what I\u2019m interested in, which is micronutrients, so that\u2019s your vitamins and your minerals.<\/p>\n
We need to consume milk obviously when we\u2019re babies, and so do infant animals. We don\u2019t need to consume it when we\u2019re older, but it is such a good source of nutrients \u2013 why not?<\/p>\n
In milk, vitamin D is really important because it helps us to absorb calcium, helping our bones to develop and to maintain bone health. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s also got Vitamin A, which is really important for eye health, immunity and a whole load of reasons.<\/p>\n
Of course, not everyone can drink milk \u2013 why is that?<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough: Lactose intolerance means you can\u2019t break down the lactose in milk \u2013 you don\u2019t make the enzymes that you need to break it down in your gut.<\/p>\n
Instead of those smaller sugars being absorbed into the small intestine, they get into the lower intestine, into the bowel, and then they\u2019re basically consumed by the bacteria.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re fermented, which produces gas and bloating, and that\u2019s what gives you the stomach pain and problems.<\/p>\n
There\u2019s actually more people in the world who can\u2019t consume milk than can consume milk because it\u2019s actually a genetic defect.<\/p>\n
If you think about it biologically, we probably shouldn\u2019t be consuming milk post-weaning, but because we\u2019ve had these populations that have been consuming milk for millennia, the genetic defect, if you like, was allowed to keep growing, and so parts of the population evolved so that they could have milk.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s why you have quite distinct areas like parts of China, parts of Africa, where a huge amount of people can\u2019t consume milk because they have this lactose intolerance.<\/p>\n
But a lot of Western and Middle Eastern people, parts of India, we do produce the enzyme lactase, which we need to help us break down the milk sugar.<\/p>\n
Massey nutrition expert Louise Brough says cow’s milk is a nutrient-rich option, though not everyone can tolerate it. Photo \/ Christine Cornege<\/p>\n
Are all milks equal?<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough: All milks are different and each milk for each specific mammalian species is very different because it\u2019s based on what that infant needs.<\/p>\n
Cow\u2019s milk is very different to human milk, and when we want to make infant formula from cow\u2019s milk, we have to change it an awful lot. It\u2019s the same with, you know, goat\u2019s milk or sheep\u2019s milk.<\/p>\n
I wouldn\u2019t say that one\u2019s actually better than another.<\/p>\n
I think what we do see in some animal-based milks is that some people, perhaps for unknown reasons, are able to tolerate certain milks better.<\/p>\n
So I guess it\u2019s just up to the individual. If an individual finds that they get gastric symptoms with cow\u2019s milk but don\u2019t with sheep\u2019s milk, well then, why not have the sheep\u2019s milk?<\/p>\n
What\u2019s A2 milk?<\/p>\n
Alex Irvine of Canterbury\u2019s Choice says, \u201cThe way I describe it \u2013 we break it down a lot slower in our digestive system. So with A1 protein \u2013 imagine a bunch of little dots \u2013 your enzymes have to immediately try to break those down in your digestive system. Whereas A2 protein is more like a solid bar, and we sort of slowly chip away at breaking it down. So it\u2019s a lot easier on our stomachs.\u201d<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough: A2 milk has actually more to do with the beta-casein and it\u2019s not really to do with the lactose.<\/p>\n
It seems to be there\u2019s something about the casein molecules in the A2 milk, which have less adverse gastric effects. The reasons why, I think we\u2019re not quite sure about, but definitely, there have been clinical trials that have shown that you get [fewer] gastric symptoms.<\/p>\n
How does sheep\u2019s milk compare?<\/p>\n
Cameron Ravenwood of Fernglen Farm in Wairarapa says: \u201cSheep\u2019s milk is really good from a digestibility perspective. So basically it\u2019s all A2-type protein, which research suggests that it\u2019s easier to digest compared to milk that contains A1 and A2 beta-casein. It\u2019s also [got] medium to short fatty chain acids as opposed to long fatty chain acids, which is in cow\u2019s milk, so it\u2019s just quicker and easier to digest. Nutritionally, it\u2019s got around 60% more protein and calcium compared to cow\u2019s milk. It\u2019s high in like magnesium, phosphorus, zinc \u2013 basically all your micronutrients.\u201d<\/p>\n
Consumers have more choice than ever, from cow’s milk to goat-, sheep- and plant-based options.<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough says: There was some research which found the differences in the chain length of the fatty acids might be a reason why it\u2019s easier to digest. It does have lower lactose.<\/p>\n
It does also have more micronutrients and higher protein than cow\u2019s milk, which means you can get more energy.<\/p>\n
I guess the slight issue with it is it is quite high in fat, so you are going to get more calories, so people who are watching their calorie intake need to be aware that it is higher in fat than the other milks.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what makes it so creamy and so delicious, though. It makes nice cheeses because of this, too.<\/p>\n
Is it similar for goats\u2019 milk?<\/p>\n
Frans Steenkamp of the now-closed Brooklyn Creamery in Wellington says: “People come back and they say it\u2019s gentle on the tummy. They can actually handle using the milk in their coffee and their cereal and they don\u2019t get upset tummies. It\u2019s naturally A2 and it\u2019s lower in lactose, naturally lower in fat. So when you drink the goat milk, it\u2019s got a very delicate texture to it.”<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough: It\u2019s a lot like sheep\u2019s milk. It is lower in fat and lactose. Like I say, it can be gentler on the stomach for some people \u2013 there is anecdotal evidence that people do tolerate it better.<\/p>\n
What about plant-based alternatives?<\/p>\n
Dr Gert-Jan Moggr\u00e9, the man behind the Bioeconomy Science Institute\u2019s (formerly Plant & Food Research) barley dairy project, says: \u201cBeta-glucan is a beneficial fibre that is high in this product, so it\u2019s more than just general fibre, it\u2019s that beta-glucan, which can bring a health benefit.\u201d<\/p>\n
Associate Professor Louise Brough: Betaglucan is what we call a prebiotic. So we don\u2019t digest it ourselves, it gets into the lower bowel, and then it\u2019s fermented or consumed by bacteria there, and it produces things which help to improve our health.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also in oats and rye by the looks of it.<\/p>\n
Plant milks are very different to animal milks and there is some discussion as to whether we should really be allowed to call them milk because they are so very different.<\/p>\n
They definitely don\u2019t have the lactose in them, so if you have lactose intolerance, then they\u2019re a good alternative.<\/p>\n
Typically, they don\u2019t have as much energy or protein in them and they are lacking in a lot of those micronutrients.<\/p>\n
Here in New Zealand, most of the plant milks are now fortified with calcium, so you\u2019ll get the same amount of calcium in a plant milk as you would in an animal milk. If they\u2019re fortified, that\u2019s not a problem.<\/p>\n
One thing is that plant milks can contain what we call anti-nutrients \u2013 things that can stop you absorbing minerals like iron or zinc because of compounds called phytates.<\/p>\n
Of the plant-based milks, soy is the most nutritionally complete \u2013 though there are also people allergic to soy.<\/p>\n
Rice milk has the lowest energy, while almond milk has the highest fats so it possibly has slightly more energy than some of the others.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s from a nutritional perspective \u2013 there are also environmental factors.<\/p>\n
We\u2019ve also seen that people use milks differently \u2013 so there are maybe milks people wanted to put in their coffee, or their breakfast cereal or in a smoothie.<\/p>\n
I think mixing plant milks with animal milks is a good way to get the milks that you like the flavour of and also still get all the nutrients that you need.<\/p>\n
*Responses edited slightly for brevity and clarity<\/p>\n
\u2013 RNZ<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Associate Professor Louise Brough: Milk is a great food source. It\u2019s very nutritious and contains lots of things…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":444523,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36],"tags":[1443,95,60504,198229,3352,150092,2841,5276,9828,1601,564,17215,134,424,61812,17306,19332,111,139,556,69,90,691,4885,16413,142399,32234,12969,17213,226890,223,165,72921,1528],"class_list":["post-444522","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nutrition","tag-about","tag-and","tag-associate","tag-brough","tag-chemistry","tag-cons","tag-country","tag-cow","tag-different","tag-expert","tag-food","tag-goat","tag-health","tag-life","tag-louise","tag-massey","tag-milk","tag-new-zealand","tag-newzealand","tag-nutrition","tag-nz","tag-on","tag-or","tag-plant","tag-professor","tag-pros","tag-rnzs","tag-sheep","tag-speaks","tag-specialises","tag-the","tag-their","tag-types","tag-university"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444522","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=444522"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/444522\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/444523"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=444522"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=444522"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=444522"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}