JOIN USThe milk of a certain breed of cow in Himachal Pradesh contains a type of protein that can fight heart disease, diabetes and autism, claims a university professor in the state.
“The milk of the pahari cow contains A2 beta-case protein in good quantity, which can fight several ailments,” said Mandeep Sharma, head of veterinary microbiology department in Chaudhary Sarwan Kumar Himachal Pradesh Agriculture University.
The department is conducting the study on 43 such cows.
In 97 per cent cases, these cows gave milk that contained the anti-disease protein, which can help people suffering from heart diseases, autism and diabetes, said Sharma.
He claimed that the milk of the exotic holstein and jersey breeds do not contain this protein but has the alternative A1 type, which has been associated with these diseases.
“The A1 type protein is negligible in the milk of the local cows,” he added.
The project, sanctioned by the National Agriculture Development Scheme, is studying immunological profiling of hill cattle for their disease-resistance potential. Studies revealed that hill cattle can fight infectious diseases like tuberculosis, foot-and-mouth disease and brucellosis.
Farmers in Himachal Pradesh prefer domesticated hybrid varieties rather than the native ones due to high milk yields. But in certain areas of the state, people have started domesticating pahari cows.