Využití polymorfismu beta kaseinu ve vztahu k lidskému zdraví při konzumaci kravského mléka

Abstract Cow's milk is an important source of protein for the human. Among the proteins, the casein and its variants α-S1, α-S2, β, and κ are represented by significant quantities. Caseins are characterized by genetic polymorphism, where the individual amino acids encoding the protein are replaced or deleted. Polymorphisms can be detected by sever-al molecular biological methods. Within the β-casein, the most frequent polymor-phisms are A1 and A2. Various β-casein variants may affect differently the human health through the bioactive peptides that they release during digestion. These peptides are called β-casomorphins in the case of β-casein. Consumption of beta-casein A1 is, according to many studies, risky because of its possible association with ischemic heart disease, diabetes mellitus and sudden infant death syndrome. Cleavage of this protein releases β-casomorphine-7, which is likely to play a role in the etiology of these dis-eases. However, further studies need to be carried out to verify or disprove this theory