# Genetically engineered cow makes anti-allergy milk **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [October 2, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503 "2012-10-02T18:03:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![April\_R](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3da27b/32.png) [@April\_R](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/April_R)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/1 "2012-10-02T18:03:47Z")
[http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/01/us-science-geneticengineering-cow-idUSBRE89018N20121001?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69](http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/10/01/us-science-geneticengineering-cow-idUSBRE89018N20121001?feedType=RSS&feedName=oddlyEnoughNews&rpc=69) Yay? or Noooooooooo? ---
**Author:** ![Enderw24](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/ba9def/32.png) [@Enderw24](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Enderw24)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/2 "2012-10-02T18:21:22Z")
I’ve never heard the term “anti-allergy” and I don’t think it even makes much sense, as a concept. ---
**Author:** ![Sicks\_Ate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/258eb7/32.png) [@Sicks\_Ate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sicks_Ate)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/3 "2012-10-02T18:27:25Z")
I linked this to my FB this morning. It’s an important story to me, since my son is one who has yet to grow out of his milk allergy at almost 3. I’m going to go with Yay for now; it’s really too early to judge it as a danger or failure, since they’ve really only one cow that can produce the milk. To add some detail to the OP, people with milk allergies are generally allergic to the proteins. The modified cow produces milk that contains only 2% the level found in regular milk. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/4 "2012-10-02T19:34:10Z")
It’s the milk of the future! Milk for adults. It makes me happy. Most adults are at least mildly lactose-intolerant. So, if they can make cheese and ice cream that’s less likely to make people farty and bloaty (and without the enormous cost increase of using soy or almond milk), I consider that a huge success for the dairy industry. ---
**Author:** ![Finagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b19c9b/32.png) [@Finagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Finagle)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 7:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/5 "2012-10-02T19:37:41Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > It’s the milk of the future! Milk for adults. It makes me happy. Most adults are at least mildly lactose-intolerant. So, if they can make cheese and ice cream that’s less likely to make people farty and bloaty (and without the enormous cost increase of using soy or almond milk), I consider that a huge success for the dairy industry. Nope. The article is about reducing the amount of a specific protein in the milk. Lactose intolerance is caused by the presence of the sugar lactose. So, not the same thing at all. ---
**Author:** ![Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/arrogance_ex_machina/32/192_2.png) [@Arrogance\_Ex\_Machina](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arrogance_Ex_Machina)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/6 "2012-10-02T22:22:34Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > It’s the milk of the future! Milk for adults. It makes me happy. Most adults are at least mildly lactose-intolerant. So, if they can make cheese and ice cream that’s less likely to make people farty and bloaty (and without the enormous cost increase of using soy or almond milk), I consider that a huge success for the dairy industry. There’s already a lot of low-lactose or lactose-free products made out of real milk, at least here in Finland. The low-lactose stuff isn’t even noticeably more expensive. Checking wiki, it seems they use lactase for the job instead of mutant cows. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 11:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/7 "2012-10-02T23:23:13Z")
> [@Finagle](#): > > Nope. The article is about reducing the amount of a specific protein in the milk. Lactose intolerance is caused by the presence of the sugar lactose. So, not the same thing at all. Oh ☹ ---
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [October 2, 2012, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/8 "2012-10-02T23:37:00Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#): > > It’s the milk of the future! Milk for adults. It makes me happy. Most adults are at least mildly lactose-intolerant. So, if they can make cheese and ice cream that’s less likely to make people farty and bloaty (and without the enormous cost increase of using soy or almond milk), I consider that a huge success for the dairy industry. underline mine I want to see some evidence please - from somewhere not related to any alternative medicines. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 12:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/9 "2012-10-03T00:57:57Z")
> [@madrabbitwoman](#): > > underline mine > I want to see some evidence please - from somewhere not related to any alternative medicines. [Most mammals normally become lactose intolerant after weaning, but some human populations have developed lactase persistence, in which lactase production continues into adulthood. It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood.](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lactose_intolerance) ---
**Author:** ![StephenG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7feea3/32.png) [@StephenG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/StephenG)\ **Post date:** [October 3, 2012, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/10 "2012-10-03T03:02:26Z")
> [@Sicks\_Ate](#): > > I linked this to my FB this morning. It’s an important story to me, since my son is one who has yet to grow out of his milk allergy at almost 3. Chiming in as another parent of a son with a milk allergy. (He’s almost four, and we know he’s allergic to a protein in milk – I wonder if it’s this protein or a different one?) This sounds like it has potential, but I’m only cautiously optimistic. I’m sure it will be a while before this milk – and products made with it – make it to market, and who knows if hypoallergenic milk will ever replace the current kind? ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 6:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/11 "2012-10-06T06:56:07Z")
Is there a reason they don’t name which protein? If it’s casein, I’ll be really happy. ---
**Author:** ![Michael63129](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3da27b/32.png) [@Michael63129](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Michael63129)\ **Post date:** [October 6, 2012, 5:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/genetically-engineered-cow-makes-anti-allergy-milk/636503/12 "2012-10-06T17:39:38Z")
> [@BigT](#): > > Is there a reason they don’t name which protein? If it’s casein, I’ll be really happy. They do; it is [beta-lactoglobulin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beta-lactoglobulin), a fancy name for whey protein (of which there are several types, but this is the most prevalent), and also the most common cause of milk allergy, although as you say, not the only one (any protein can cause an allergic reaction): > [@](#): > > Anower Jabed and colleagues at the New Zealand government-run AgResearch company said their genetically modified cow produced milk with a 96 percent reduction in the protein beta-lactoglobulin (BLG), a component known to cause allergic reactions. Also, is a 96% reduction in the level really sufficient? Some people are so allergic that just traces of the allergen can set them off, at least for [peanuts](http://www.peanut-institute.org/eating-well/allergy/) (and probably others).