Immune system reaction to casein, a protein in cow’s milk, can trigger an inflammatory neurological disease in mice that’s similar to multiple sclerosis (MS) and includes the loss of myelin, a study reported.
“These results identify how consumption of milk and milk products may exacerbate the autoimmune response in MS,” its researchers wrote.
The study, “Antibody cross-reactivity between casein and myelin-associated glycoprotein results in central nervous system demyelination,” was published in PNAS.
Reports linking cow’s milk consumption to a greater risk of developing MS date back as far as the 1970s, and many patients report feeling worse when they consume dairy. However, a biological mechanism that could explain this connection has been lacking.