Milk Matters
Maureen Minchin
2015
This extensively researched book explores the profound link between early infant feeding and long-term immune health. Maureen Minchin examines how infant formula, medical interventions, and disrupted microbiomes may contribute to the rise in allergies, autoimmune conditions, and chronic illness. She presents a compelling case for breastfeeding as a critical foundation for lifelong well-being.
Why It’s Included:
Milk Matters is both science-driven and deeply passionate — a rare combination. It strongly supports our commitment to informed infant feeding, biological norms, and public health advocacy. This book challenges us to reconsider not only how we feed babies, but how we think about health, risk, and prevention.
Who It’s For:
Ideal for health professionals, researchers, and advocates interested in the intersection of breastfeeding, gut health, and immune function. Also valuable for reflective parents who want a deeper understanding of the biological importance of human milk.
“I read Minchin’s book Breastfeeding Matters in 1980s and it made me want to go out in the streets and shout from the rooftops . By the time I met Maureen in the 1990s and had multiple occasions to hear her speak over the following years, I joined the chorus requesting a follow-up book. In 2015, the Milk Matters tome took its rightful place in history. The book - or rather, three books in one, has been made available in parts:
Book 1 explains many vertically communicated diseases, commonly described as NCDs and their relationship with infant feeding methods throughout history.
Book 2 provides a history of infant formula, past present and future.
Book 3 is a practical handbook for professionals and parents of infants, and addresses many current controversies in infant feeding, such as the age of introduction of foods other than milk.”
Further Reading:
– Breastfeeding and Human Lactation – Wambach & Spencer
– Breastfeeding: Biocultural Perspectives – Stuart-Macadam & Dettwyler
– Our article: “Breastmilk as Medicine:
