I was asked offline for refs as to bovine proteins entering mother's milk. There 
are at least several available. Below are two that provide other interesting 
insights as well.
linda

Linda F. Palmer, DC
"Baby Matters, What Your Doctor May Not Tell You..."

Am J Clin Nutr. 1997 Jan;65(1):30-5. Links

Consumption of cow milk and egg by lactating women and the presence of 
beta-lactoglobulin and ovalbumin in breast milk.
Fukushima Y, Kawata Y, Onda T, Kitagawa M.
Nestle Japan Ltd., Scientific Liaison Office, Tokyo, [log in to unmask]
beta-Lactoglobulin and ovalbumin in mature human milk in healthy lactating 
Japanese women (n = 24) were determined by using an enzyme-linked 
immunosorbent assay. Subjects consumed > or = +200 mL cow milk/d for 1 wk 
before the sampling day and exactly 200 mL cow milk on the morning of the 
sampling day. beta-Lactoglobulin was detected (> 0.1 microgram/L) in breast 
milk in 15 of the 24 subjects (62.5%), with a maximum concentration of 16.5 
micrograms/L. Ovalbumin was detected in only two subjects (8.3%) after the 
subjects followed their usual diet. beta-Lactoglobulin concentrations were low 
in the subjects whose cow milk consumption during the entire lactating period 
was low, even though all subjects consumed the same amount of cow milk 
before sampling. This result suggests that beta-lactoglobulin concentrations in 
breast milk are related to long-term consumption of cow milk. Amounts of food 
antigens in breast milk may be controlled by modifying the daily maternal diet.


J Allergy Clin Immunol. 1994 Apr;93(4):787-92. Links

Beta-lactoglobulin secretion in human milk varies widely after cow's milk 
ingestion in mothers of infants with cow's milk allergy.
Sorva R, Mäkinen-Kiljunen S, Juntunen-Backman K.
Department of Allergic Diseases, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland.
BACKGROUND: Cow's milk proteins secreted in human milk may cause cow's 
milk allergy (CMA) even during exclusive breast-feeding. We studied beta-
lactoglobulin levels in human milk of mothers of infants with CMA. We also 
studied intestinal absorption of macromolecules in the same mothers to see 
whether it is related to the secretion of beta-lactoglobulin in human milk. 
METHODS: CMA was verified with oral challenge in 46 of 55 infants assessed. 
beta-Lactoglobulin levels were assessed in human milk from 53 of 55 mothers 
of the infants before (basal sample) and 1 and 2 hours after an oral cow's milk 
load, which was given after a 24-hour milk-free diet. beta-Lactoglobulin was 
determined by an ELISA with a detection limit of 0.002 microgram/L. The 6-
hour urine recovery of a high-molecular-weight polyethylene glycol (PEG) 3000 
was assessed after an oral load of PEG in 45 of 55 mothers. RESULTS: beta-
Lactoglobulin was found in the 1- or 2-hour samples in 75% of the mothers. 
beta-Lactoglobulin levels were increased in the 1- or 2-hour samples as 
compared with the basal levels in about half of the mothers. The respective 
levels were decreased in one third of the mothers whose basal beta-
lactoglobulin levels were higher than in the others. beta-Lactoglobulin was 
found in none of the three human milk samples in 15% of the mothers. After 
an oral load of a high-molecular-weight PEG 3000, the 6-hour urine recovery 
of PEG was similar in the mothers of the infants with CMA and the mothers of 
infants without CMA. Neither was the urinary recovery of PEG related to the 
beta-lactoglobulin levels in human milk. CONCLUSIONS: The results support 
the view that beta-lactoglobulin in human milk may contribute to, but does 
not alone explain, the development of CMA in breast-fed infants.

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