There is a lot of talk about raw milk online (1,2). Let’s make sure you remain safe by knowing the facts.
Raw milk is milk that has not been pasteurized (3). Pasteurization consists of heating certain food to high temperature for a short period of time (e.g. 63°C for 30 mins or 72°C for 15 secs) in order to kill and inactivate harmful microorganisms (3,4,5,6,7).
Raw milk is unsafe to drink as it can contain harmful bacteria which are known to lead to very serious diseases (3,6,7). They can cause diarrhea, vomiting, and fever, but also septicemia, meningitis, stroke, kidney failure, miscarriage, Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome and even death (3,6,5,8). There is also emerging evidence that raw milk could transmit avian influenza H5N1 to mammals (1,9,10,11,12,13). Because of these risks, it is illegal to sell raw milk in Canada (5,6,8).
Some people claim that pasteurized milk is less nutritious than raw milk. While it does slightly reduce its vitamin C content, which milk was never a significant source of anyway, it does not significantly affect its calcium, protein, amino acid, vitamin B6 and vitamin A content (3,6,7,8,14). Plus pasteurized milk is enriched in vitamin D, which is absent in raw milk (15).
Let’s dispel other common raw milk myths (3,14,16,17):
- It doesn’t cure or help with lactose intolerance.
- It doesn’t contain more calcium.
- It doesn’t act as a probiotic.
- It doesn’t help build or enhance your immune system.
- It doesn’t have antimicrobial properties.
All in all, no good safety practice other than pasteurization can fully eliminate the risks associated with drinking raw milk (3). Raw milk can contain harmful microbes regardless of whether it is organic, regularly tested for bacteria, comes from a farmers’ market, from healthy and clean animals, or from grass-fed animals. Pasteurized milk allows you to drink milk without the risk of getting sick (3,6,15,18).
Sources: https://tinyurl.com/SUFRawMilk
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Drinking raw milk is an udderly risky choice! Pasteurized milk is the safe and nutritious option.
For more milk mythbusting, check out https://t.co/jUkcZhEWce#ScienceUpFirst pic.twitter.com/Yw9qdekXL7
— ScienceUpFirst | LaScienced'Abord (@ScienceUpFirst) May 23, 2024
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