By Sean Henahan, Access Excellence

The milk contains significantly elevated amounts of two naturally occurring fatty acids, oleic acid and linoleic acid. They accomplished this by modifying the diet of the cows to include crushed rapeseed and soybeans. Milk containing high amounts of these polyunsaturated fatty acids is called "soft milk" in the dairy trade, because butter made from this milk is softer and more spreadable even when just removed from the refrigerator.

A diet high in oleic acid has been recommended for some time by health authorities for people at risk for heart disease. Oleic acid has been shown to reduce low density lipoprotein cholesterol ("bad" cholesterol) in the blood stream while leaving high density lipoprotein cholesterol ("good" cholesterol) levels unchanged. This in turn is believed to reduce the risk for atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

A recent study conducted at the cardiology unit in Dublin's Beaumont Hospital confirmed the potential positive benefits of the new milk. COnjugated linoleic acid, for its part has recently been found to have anti-oxidant properties which may prove to have an anti-cancer effect.

Consumer tests conducted in Germany and Ireland produced "extremely positive reactions", according to Dr. John Murphy, head of diary research at the Teagasc Research Center in Fermoy, County Cork.

Both oleic acid and conjugated linoleic acid are found in normal milk. However, the levels vary and are affected by the changing seasons. Adding soy and rapeseed to dairy herds otherwise fed on grass would add about fifteen cents (US) to a quart of milk, or 30 cents to a pound of butter. This is a price health conscious consumers would be likely to pay, Murphy says.