Raw milk
|
|
Raw milk is milk that has not been processed via pasteurization (heating) or homogenization before consumption by humans.
| Contents |
Views by supporters
Proponents believe that it preserves the natural flavors, and claim that calves fed pasteurized milk die before maturity. They believe that:
- The beneficial bacteria (probiotics) promote good health by crowding out bad bacteria and help prevent yeast overgrowth in the intestinal tract, such as of Candida.
- Enzymes are destroyed by pasteurization which would aid in digestion. Lactase is an enzyme in raw milk that aids digestion of the milk sugar lactose, and so some lactose intolerant individuals can drink raw milk.
- Raw milk will sour naturally due to the lactic acid consuming bacteria, and still be healthy, whereas pasteurized milk which lacks the healthy bacteria will only putrify.
- People with genetic Connective Tissue Disorders, such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome that prevent them from making at least one protein in human collagen may or may not be able to absorb this from raw animal sources such as raw milk. In other words, it isn't known whether these diseases represent recent unfavourable mutations, or the survival of genes common before cooking and food processing.
Advocates of raw milk almost universally promote:
- dairy cattle being organically grass-fed without hormones or antibiotics as the best means to produce healthy raw milk. This method has been shown to produce omega 3 fatty acids in the milk which is rarely found in large scale commercial dairy products.
- Whole milk and believe the fat in raw milk promotes good health.
- Cattle breeds such as Guernsey and Jersey over the highest output Holsteins.
Views by opponents
The pasteurization process for milk was implemented specifically to kill common pathogens transmitted by milk, and secondarily, to give milk a longer shelf life by reducing the number of spoilage-causing organisms. The most significant diseases transmitted by milk are salmonellosis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and campylobacteriosis.
Opponents, including the US FDA and the group Public Citizen, cite the dangers of pathogens and dispute the health claims. Owing to the lack of pasteurization, raw milk must be produced under strict sanitary conditions, has a shorter shelf life and must be maintained consistently at a low (<40°F) temperature. Despite the restrictions and conditions imposed on producers of raw milk, the FDA has found that "raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe."
Cows with mastitis (an infection of their breast tissue) pass the infecting bacteria into their milk. The most significant bacteria causing bovine mastitis are Streptococcus agalactiae (and other streptococcus species), Staphylococcus aureus, various species of Mycoplasma, and coliform bacteria. These are all human pathogens — they can cause disease in humans.
Cows that carry internal salmonella infections (especially salmonella dublin) can shed the bacteria in their milk, despite external washing and cleaning of their udders. In addition, many kinds of bacteria can continue to reside on the udders' surface after washings, including salmonella and staphylococcus.
Raw milk is frequently promoted as a "health food", especially to those who are already ill or have compromised immune systems (such as patients with cancer or AIDS). The additional load presented to the immune system from disease-causing bacteria present in raw milk can be too much for the body to bear. A notable opportunistic infector of elderly and immunocompromised patients is Salmonella dublin.
Products made using raw milk (such as cheese and yogurt) will contain the same bacteria as the original milk. These processing methods do not kill disease-causing bacteria. Between 2001 and 2004, tuberculosis from raw milk cheese caused the death of one infant and sickening of dozens of people in New York City.
Buying "certified" raw milk is no guarantee that the milk is disease-free: many documented cases of salmonella dublin infection in humans have been caused by consumption of infected certified raw milk. Certification of raw milk is performed by a dairy industry association, not by public health authorities.
Some people say that pasteurized milk converts the protein casein into beta-casomorphin-7, which some in turn link to autism. This argument is based on incorrect knowledge of casein digestion. The process of human digestion (not pasteurization) converts casein into casomorphins (including beta-casomorphin-7) regardless of whether the consumed milk product was pasteurized. Since your body creates these byproducts from any casein it encounters, it makes no difference as to the source of the casein (be it from raw or pasteurized milk, cheese, yogurt, etc.) In addition, casein and casein micelles are not degraded by pasteurization temperatures [1] (http://www.foodsci.uoguelph.ca/dairyedu/chem.html#protein2), but are coagulated upon boiling, which explains the different consistency of boiled milk. In regards to total elimination of casein from one's diet, see gluten-free, casein-free diet for more information on reported effects of this particular diet.
External links
Supporters of raw milk
- rawmilk.org (http://www.rawmilk.org/)
- Real Milk web site (http://www.realmilk.com/)
- Weston A. Price Foundation (http://www.westonaprice.org/)
Opponents of raw milk
- Why Raw Milk Should Be Avoided - Stephen Barrett, M.D. (http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/rawmilk.html)
- British Columbia Ministry of Health: Raw Milk - A Risk to Public Health (http://www.bchealthguide.org/healthfiles/hfile03.stm)
- U.S. FDA Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition (http://www.cfsan.fda.gov/~ear/mi-03-4.html): Position statement on sale/consumption of raw milk
- CDC: Highly increased risk of contracting salmonella dublin infection from raw milk (http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00000318.htm)
- University of Guelph Food Safety Network: Summary of raw milk disease outbreaks (http://www.foodsafetynetwork.ca/food/rawmilk.htm)