Tonight the usually high standards of journalism displayed by the ABCs 7:30 report failed dismally when they aired a story about regular cows milk causing all manner of diseases from schizophrenia, heart disease, diabetes to impaired neurological development and autism.

It was a purely appalling piece, (watch it here) containing red flags for pseudoscience at every turn. Run as the lead story (making it appear to be important) it was peppered with testimonials, anecdotes and some very dodgy looking science.

I thought I must have stood on the remote and switched over to A Current Affair or Today Tonight when they showed footage of a woman saying switching from regular milk cured her hives and deep tissue swelling in only four weeks.

Then there was the story of the farmer’s daughter who was cured from diarrhea and vomiting overnight (or somesuch) after switching to magic milk.

Of note, scant evidence for regular milk causing these conditions was presented, or maybe I blinked and missed it. Instead there were statements about countries where more regular milk is consumed displaying higher levels of obesity and other diseases, but correlation does not equal causation. And these studies need to be interpreted with caution.

“They had someone who had a kid with eczema and the eczema had gone away, someone who didn’t get migraines anymore, someone who didn’t get stomach upsets anymore – those types of issues. All the stories can’t be wrong. I just believe there’s got to be something in it.”

So what is this magic milk of which they speak?

Cows give one of three types of milk. There’s milk with A1 casein (a type of protein), milk with A2 and some cows give milk with a combination of both. A theory, which apparently started in New Zealand in 2000, is that A2 milk is much better for your health than A1 milk.

The type of protein a cow produces depends on genetics, so A2 cows must be bred.

But what is even more interesting when I was researching this story I found out this is not the first time the A2 milk story has been covered by the ABC.

After the theory was first proposed in the year 2000 in New Zealand, the ABC covered it on Four Corners in 2003 and then on Landline in 2006.

The transcripts are available on-line and appear to be quite similar.

Just look at this for an example.

Four Corners, First Published 31/03/2003. Reporter Ticky Fullerton:

Nevertheless, a possible mechanism for how A1 milk might cause disease was now proposed. Protein molecules of A1 and A2 milk are both chains of amino acids. But in the A1 molecule, one amino acid is different, a weak link. A2 researchers believe this causes the chain to break, creating a small piece called Beta Casomorphin 7. And this piece is able move through the gut wall, into the blood, triggering disease.

Landline First Published: 06/08/2006. Reporter Pip Courtney:

A possible mechanism for how A1 milk might cause disease was now proposed. Protein molecules of A1 and A2 milk are both chains of amino acids, but in the A1 molecule, one amino acid is different – a weak link. A2 researchers believe this causes the chain to break creating a small piece called Beta Casomorphin 7 and this piece is able to move through the gut wall into the blood, triggering disease.

7:30 Report, 07/04/2010 (attributed to Four Corners 2003)

They claim that trigger is found in a weak link in A1 milks chain of amino acids causing the chain to break and creating a small piece called BCM7. They say that piece moves through the gut wall into the blood stream causing disease

But being that today’s date is 07/04/2010, it seems this story might be on a cycle of every 3 – 4 years. Slow news day 7:30 Report?

Here are some more similarities:

Four Corners, First Published 31/03/2003. Reporter Ticky Fullerton:

Milk has long been blamed for health problems – heart disease, diabetes and even autism. But in the new hypothesis, it’s not fats or sugar but protein, something you can’t even taste, under the microscope. A2 milk’s backers claim A1 triggers these diseases.

Landline First Published: 06/08/2006. Reporter Pip Courtney:

Milk has long been blamed for health problems – heart disease, diabetes and even autism. But in the new hypothesis, it’s not fats or sugar but protein, something you can’t even taste, under the microscope. A2 milk’s backers claim A1 triggers these diseases.

Oh Aunty, really?

And they even spoke to many of the same people.

Landline First Published: 06/08/2006. Reporter Pip Courtney:

Well, in 2004, the New Zealand Food Safety Authority asked Professor Boyd Swinburn from Deakin University to evaluate the research.

Four Corners, First Published 31/03/2003. Reporter Ticky Fullerton:

PROFESSOR BOYD SWINBURN, SCHOOL OF HEALTH SCIENCES, DEAKIN UNIVERISTY

After re-watching tonight’s story on-line, I’m not sure what prompted them to run it again. You might guess some significant new scientific breakthroughs, or advances in the understanding of how regular milk might cause such diseases. But sadly no.

I only saw one piece of new science in this version of the story, a paper from Russian researchers claiming developmental delays in babies fed A1 formula, which correlated with high levels of circulating BCM7.

But Professor Peter Clifton had this to say;

“I’ve certainly read that paper and I don’t think it’s groundbreaking and significant. In fact, if I had been editing that journal I wouldn’t have accepted that paper for many many reasons, essentially I don’t think they’ve actually measured what they claim to measure”.

There’s more

Landline First Published: 06/08/2006. Reporter Pip Courtney:

In 2004, the Queensland Health Department fined A2 milk marketers $15,000 for making false and misleading claims about the health benefits of A2 milk. Dairy Australia says the company broke the rules.

7:30 Report, 07/04/2010

It’s wary about the way it promotes the product. Mindful that back in 2004 another A2 milk marketer was convicted of making false and misleading health claims.

And finally:

Four Corners, First Published 31/03/2003. Reporter Ticky Fullerton:

TICKY FULLERTON: Just how plausible do you think it is that one factor, a protein in A1 milk, could contribute to diabetes, heart disease, autism and schizophrenia?

7:30 Report, 07/04/2010

Reporter Lisa Whitehead: Why don’t you go as far as claiming that A1 milk can cause heart disease, juvenile diabetes, even autism

The answer was a piece of unsubstantiated scaremongering from an A2 supporter:

“We’ve really left that topic to the scientists to talk about, there are many eminent scientists who would support that. Ummm, we would certainly say that yes, there’s some evidence, we don’t certainly talk avidly about that evidence but we believe yes consumers should make up their own minds about that.”

A2 milk is big business and much money can be made if either side can convince consumers that their milk is healthy and the other causes autism. I know, I’ve seen the reports detailing the ins-and-outs three times now (go read the transcripts if you want to know more). But this debate is really about the politics, and the money, not the science.

Well done to the 7:30 Report for contributing to the scaremongering by A2 producers and potentially lining their pockets, for the third time, along the way.

What a disgrace ABC.


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