Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk [Paperback]

Keith Woodford (Author), Tom Cowan (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 9, 2009

This groundbreaking work is the first internationally published book to examine the link between a protein in the milk we drink and a range of serious illnesses, including heart disease, Type 1 diabetes, autism, and schizophrenia.

These health problems are linked to a tiny protein fragment that is formed when we digest A1 beta-casein, a milk protein produced by many cows in the United States and northern European countries. Milk that contains A1 beta-casein is commonly known as A1 milk; milk that does not is called A2. All milk was once A2, until a genetic mutation occurred some thousands of years ago in some European cattle. A2 milk remains high in herds in much of Asia, Africa, and parts of Southern Europe. A1 milk is common in the United States, New Zealand, Australia, and Europe.

In Devil in the Milk, Keith Woodford brings together the evidence published in more than 100 scientific papers. He examines the population studies that look at the link between consumption of A1 milk and the incidence of heart disease and Type 1 diabetes; he explains the science that underpins the A1/A2 hypothesis; and he examines the research undertaken with animals and humans. The evidence is compelling: We should be switching to A2 milk.

A2 milk from selected cows is now marketed in parts of the U.S., and it is possible to convert a herd of cows producing A1 milk to cows producing A2 milk.

This is an amazing story, one that is not just about the health issues surrounding A1 milk, but also about how scientific evidence can be molded and withheld by vested interests, and how consumer choices are influenced by the interests of corporate business.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"[A] shattering expose of the health problems caused by milk and the efforts of elements in the dairy industry and Government to cover them up."--Jacqueline Steincamp, Healthy Options



"Devil in the Milk is a monumental study, convincingly laid out, and one that demands our immediate attention. . . . If we can use this book to convert our cows to A2 cows, then use the principles of properly fed, properly prepared dairy, we will do much to reduce the disease burden in our country and find our way to the robust health that is our birthright. I encourage everyone to read this book and see for themselves."--Thomas Cowan, MD, from the Foreword

"I believe this is an important book. Critics should think carefully and avoid knee-jerk reactions."--Sir John Scott, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, University of Auckland

"Devil in the Milk is potentially as significant as Carson's Silent Spring or Nader's Unsafe at Any Speed."--Alan Robb, The New Zealand Farmers Weekly

About the Author

Keith Woodford is Professor of Farm Management and Agribusiness at Lincoln University in New Zealand. A regular commentator in the news media, he was previously at the University of Queensland (Australia) for 20 years. He lives with his family in Christchurch, New Zealand.

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing; 1 edition (March 9, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1603581022
• ISBN-13: 978-1603581028
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #91,416 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

50 of 59 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Shortcut to Milk Wisdom, June 18, 2009

By 

Roger F. Cow (Europe) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk (Paperback)

Those comments were done after my second reading of "Devil in the Milk" of Keith Woodford:

Is a celestial read, despite the title.
If i was given the chance to rename it , it would be: "Shortcut to Milk Wisdom".
Because it makes clear the choices that we have. "I need to buy this, wont buy that anymore", that what i though shortly after.
Is a rarity that a book can do that: change the views of a food group, quick and forever.

The book is thick, took me several days to read. Even took me several days to re-read, to see if i did not missed any fine print (& to better re-fit the parts, knowing the whole).
The book provides a balanced read, a lot of details and covers all the basics to make better choices. Is not a "bible", but is stands on his own. I find the author position careful and even naif at times (when dealing will Fonterra and his mercenaries). But he learned :)

Is not a closed book, as the author provides a number of sites to the interested reader to dig deeper, according to his/her own interests.
Even the huge scientific bibliography is able to keep professionals busy for years.

References are also given at several points of the book, so more inquisitive minds can check the research done.

As seen in the postscript by the author, this is a very actual subject, that took him 3 years to write, yet is still changing.
Quality research is needed, and the author points examples of experiments that needs to be done to make milk science move on.

The diary industry is more interest in burying this subject, to keep milk sells going undisturbed.
So, they want to cut money for A2 research, giving it instead to cholesterol, despite A1 milk in tests done, could produce more damage than cholesterol.

.........................................

The author points that if consumers want A2 milk that have to stand up, and shout and push and pull and beg and demand (my words). Or else... nothing changes.

So, i add my little effort to his, and thus my review.
We need A2 milk, better milk labeling, more research for A2 milk, more truth in showing the research done. Clearly we cant trust the diary industry or their mercenaries scientists (my words).
.........................................
The book is worth buying, in fact could even be your best buy in years. A book that changes your view of the milk/yogurt/cheese choices, for the better, once and forever.

People that SHOULD NOT read this book:
a) people that buy the cheapest foods/drinks. Those who buy based on taste & those who buy based on $. Those people are helpless, great candidates for McDonalds and transgenic foods (OGM foods). RIP.

b) people that cannot think by themselves & rely on "food pyramids" or "FDA" for advice.
Or Mr & Mrs Conservative, that follow the "system" and like public relations speeches/propaganda.

.........................................

People that CAN USE THIS BOOK (put it in practice):

A) People that want the best milk & want to know "why" is the best milk;
B) People that make their own yogurts or their own cheeses (Gottschall SCD users);
C) People that eat cheeses; or casein in sport drinks; or milk powders;
D) People that eat products that have diary as part of its content;
E) People that have digestive problems, leaking gut, ulcers, Crohn, colitis, IBD, allergies, etc;
F) people (or parents that have family with): mental problems (in general); autism; schizophrenia; parkinson, allergies, etc;
G) Couples that are thinking of having babies;
H) Mothers that are breast feeding:
I) Couples with small kids;
J) People that avoid all diary, but have people who they love that eat them. Offer them this book. Break the chain of ignorance.

.........................................

The health issues around milk are important as milk is widely consumed. Despite that the diary industry/food authorities makes propaganda saying all milk, heavily processed is beyond suspicious...

Really?
No, is not. A big part of the book is separating the many heavy system lies from shy truths.

The book tells the story of Corran McLachlan, Howard Paterson, the A2 corporation and the author himself, fighting against the diary golias (Fonterra and alikes) that want to keep the dark on this issues.

So, do your part, don't let this important information get lost among FDA or Fonterra propaganda.
Search for A2 products. Eat them in reasonable amounts and avoid the A1 products. Is simple. If you are adventurous ask your milk company what they do with the milk.
Do you know what they will reply?

They said to me: "Is not of your business".

So i choose A2 milk products, the least processed i can find. I don't need big milk companies A1 lousy products.
I would like also to make my own goat yogurt, Gottschall-style, but at the moment cant find full fat goat milk.
Still if the world does not end first, i have hopes one day i have a few goats and can have a quality product.
So, until then i plan to learn more about yogurt making (how to reduce lactose, how to measure lactose, etc).

.........................................

The author mentioned some info about pasteurization and heart disease that i think are important and i will try to find more info about that.

Thanks Mr. Keith Woodford, for your many efforts in bringing us the A2 milk truth.
5/5 stars.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars We need a healthy milk supply, July 18, 2010

By 

Timothy D. Lundeen (San Francisco, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk (Paperback)

An excellent book, nicely written and a pleasure to read. Good science and good explanations of what we've learned about A1 and A2 milk.

A1 is the newer milk in an evolutionary sense, with the mutation responsible arising somewhere between 5,000 and 10,000 years ago, at a time when cattle were being taken north into Europe. A2 milk is the original structure. All goat milk, most sheep milk, and some cow milk is A2. In the United States, though, most of the milk produced has a very high proportion of A1 milk.

The danger from A1 milk is in its protein structure. The beta-casein in A1 milk has a structure that allows a short molecule called beta-casomorphin-7, or BCM-7, to split off during digestion. This small protein is the "devil in the milk", and it can cause various problems, ranging from juvenile diabetes, autism, schizophrenia, allergies, to auto-immune diseases such as MS and Parkinson's.

The evidence is quite compelling. The conclusion is that we should not drink A1 cow milk, or eat products made from it. While the percentage of children with immediate effects is small, the consequences are severe for affected individuals. Only 2/10ths of 1% will get juvenile diabetes, only 1 in 150 are autistic, a small percentage have Celiac or Crohn's: but if not drinking milk will prevent all of these, it is hard to see how it is worth taking the risk. (Also, though the author doesn't discuss this, there is good reason to think that many cases of ADD/ADHD are milder reactions to A1 milk than full-blown autism.)

For adults, A1 milk is correlated with much higher rates of heart attack, schizophrenia, diabetes, MS, Parkinsons. So same thing: why take a chance on being one of the affected individuals. In Western society most people have a high degree of degeneration as they age, and there is good reason to thing that A1 milk contributes to this for everyone.

My recommendation after reading this is to only use certified A2 cows milk, or stick to sheep and goat's milk.

The dairy industry doesn't want to hear this, as there is a cost for them to switch to all A2 cows. Nonetheless, it is essential for public health that this conversion be done as quickly as possible.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Devil is in the detail, August 15, 2010

By 

R. Kapur (London UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Devil in the Milk: Illness, Health and the Politics of A1 and A2 Milk (Paperback)

This book confirms what I have thought about factory farmed milk and why I always felt New Zealand butter and other products from there have been much better.

I grew up on New Zealand Butter and started to fall ill when my parents changed from NZ butter to European butter in the late 1980s

Keith Woodford puts his points across in a historical fashion but this does not detract from the book. It is however not a book you can just delve into It needs to be read from the beginning to appreciate the full insights of his research and the attitude of the big food and government who are in league with each other or rather have a relationship to money and its generation which has no regard to peoples' health.
It has confirmed why I felt goat milk was less mucus producing, and has been a very worthwhile purchase. It has informed my health choice and my ability to choose products that are helpful rather than those which are harmful to my health. I am a doctor and I have always known that you are what you eat and if you eat the wrong stuff you do not live up to your potential.

There are dirty politics involving food, it is not widely known that Philip Morris, the tobacco manufacturer, has upto a third of the world's food supply under its command, through Kraft, Kenco, Nabisco and other such companies.

This has obvious implications in our food supply and I am grateful for his book I would buy it if you are interested in learning how our food is now controlled by some of the richest and most corrupt people in society who do not care about us in the slightest and care more for their profits.

I heartily recommend this book to anyone who is concerned about their health, and their well being and wishes to understand why people are getting worse rather than better in this so called advanced world of ours and why diseases are rampaging through us.