Is milk causing autism, schizophrenia, heart disease and type 1 diabetes?

Is a common type of cow’s milk consumed by millions of people across the world causing serious physical and mental health problems? Agribusiness professor and farm-management consultant Dr. Keith Woodford believes so. In his book Devil in the Milk he describes research showing that a protein in milk from particular breeds of cows – called A1 cows – is causing schizophrenia, autism, inflammation, heart disease and, possibly, type 1 diabetes. Dr. Woodford says that A2 cows, however, produce milk that does not cause health problems due to this protein.

Switching from A1 to A2 cow’s milk may have amazing health benefits. Are you drinking the right kind of milk for good health?

What is the difference between A1 and A2 cows?
What types of mental and physical problems might BCM7 in A1 milk cause?
How do you know if you are drinking A1 or A2 cow’s milk?
What if you don’t know what type of cow’s milk you are drinking and you don’t want to be exposed to BCM7?
Are there any other problems with cow’s milk?

What is the difference between A1 and A2 cows?

Dr. Thomas Cowan describes the two types of cows in his 2009 review of the Devil in the Milk published on The Weston A. Price Foundation website.

A1 cows include the more modern breeds like Holsteins and Friesians. A2 cows are the older breeds of cows, including Jerseys, Asian and African cows.

Cow’s milk contains a protein fragment (called a peptide) known as BCM7. This is a compound called an opiate, which has bad effects on animals and humans. No BCM7 is found in the urine, blood or guts of A2 cows. BCM7 is, however, in the blood and urine of A1 cows. People who drink milk from A1 cows, but not A2 cows, can be exposed to BCM7; so A2 milk is the healthier milk.

What types of mental and physical problems might BCM7 in A1 milk cause?

Dr. Cowan says Dr. Woodford describes research showing that BCM7 can cause nervous system problems in animals and people, especially autistic and schizophrenic changes. BCM7 badly affects the immune response. He says injecting BCM7 into animals has provoked type 1 diabetes. He also says it can cause people to produce too much mucus.

Dr. Woodford presents research showing a direct relationship between people’s exposure to A1 cow’s milk and the incidence of auto-immune disease, heart disease, type 1 diabetes, autism and schizophrenia.

Journalist Barbara L. Minton reports in NaturalNews.com that:

“Epidemiological evidence from ten countries has demonstrated a strong association between high intake of milk from A1 positive cows and high incidence of these diseases, and has correlated very closely with World Health Organization data on the level of deaths from mental disorders.”

Minton says Dr. Woodford brings together evidence from more than 100 scientific papers examining population studies and both animal and human research. He explains the science behind the A1/A2 hypothesis and shows that BCM7 is linked with milk intolerance and a range of auto-immune diseases including type 1 diabetes. This is the diabetes that usually occurs during childhood or young adulthood. In people with type 1 diabetes, the body destroys its own insulin-producing cells.

The Great Plains Laboratory, Inc. website reports that Dr. Reichelt in Norway, Dr. Cade at the University of Florida, and others have found that urine samples from people with autism, PDD, celiac disease and schizophrenia contained high amounts of peptides. Peptides may also be high in other health problems such as chronic fatigue, fibromyalgia and depression, based on anecdotal reports of symptoms disappearing after wheat and dairy are removed from the diet.

How do you know if you are drinking A1 or A2 cow’s milk?

Whether you drink A1 or A2 cow’s milk obviously depends on which type of cow your milk comes from. Dr. Cowan says nearly all American dairy cows are A1 cows. A1 milk is also common in Australia, New Zealand and Europe. But parts of Southern Europe, and much of Asia and Africa, breed mostly A2 cows, according to Dr. Woodford.

What if you don’t know what type of cow’s milk you are drinking and you don’t want to be exposed to BCM7?

If you are unsure about which type of cow’s milk you are drinking, you could switch to goat’s or sheep’s milk (which are A2 milk), or other cow’s milk alternatives, such as soy, rice and oat milk. These all contain no BCM7.

Are there any other problems with cow’s milk?

Dr. Joseph Mercola claims children with autism should avoid pasteurized milk and instead drink raw unpasteurized cow’s milk. He wrote in his 2003 article Pasteurized Milk and its Link to Autism that:

“Over the last six months I have come to realize that the major reason why autistic children need to avoid milk is because it is pasteurized. The pasteurization process turns casein into a very dangerous molecule that can further precipitate the brain injury. If the children are fed real raw milk this will not occur.

I have recently started recommending this to my autistic patients but have not received any feedback yet. However, I recently received an e-mail from two independent researchers and parents of autistic children who have been getting tremendous results with this approach.”

If you or someone close to you has – or is at high risk of – autism, schizophrenia, heart disease, inflammation or type 1 diabetes, try to find out which type of cow’s milk and other dairy products you are eating, if you, or they, eat these foods. Seek advice from a relevant health professional to see if dairy foods might be contributing to the health problem.

written by Nyomi Graef