The health risks of raw milk clearly outweigh the potential advantages – food scientists and nutritionists explain why

What is pasteurization? Does it destroy nutrients?

Pasteurization is a process during which beverages and foods are heated to high temperatures—over 145 degrees Fahrenheit (62.78 degrees Celsius)—to kill harmful microorganisms resembling bacteria, viruses and parasites. This reduces the general variety of microorganisms within the product and inactivates enzymes that might contribute to spoilage.

The taste, dietary value and quality of pasteurized products will not be significantly affected by the method.

While pasteurization may lead to some nutrient losses, Changes are generally minimal and outweighed by the advantages. Pasteurization typically causes a slight denaturation of proteins and has little effect on fats and carbohydrates. While water-soluble vitamins resembling Vitamin C and a few B vitamins that will not be often abundant in milk, except vitamin B2may be partially broken down during pasteurization, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E and K, that are present in significant quantities in milk) are more heat-stable and are only minimally lost.

Therefore, nutrient losses in milk because of pasteurization are generally small in comparison with the numerous advantages resulting from the reduction of foodborne illness and spoilage.

Is raw milk healthier than pasteurized milk?

Studies have compared the benefits of raw milk with pasteurized milk and have found little evidence that raw milk is superior to pasteurized milk. The perceived advantages of raw milk are outweighed by the health risks.

First, raw milk doesn’t improve lactose intolerance.

Raw milk too has no more vitamins than pasteurized milk. Milk shouldn’t be a great source of vitamin C or other heat-sensitive vitamins, and pasteurization contributes little to the reduction of vitamin B2 or riboflavin, which shouldn’t be as heat sensitive. In addition Vitamin D is added to pasteurized milk to enhance the Ability to soak up calcium in milk.

Fortified milk replaces nutrients which may be lost within the pasteurization process. Vitamin D is added to exploit to enhance the absorption of the calcium present in milk. No single food is ideal, so it's OK if milk is lacking some nutrients, as these may be obtained from other foods.

Some people imagine that probiotics – foods or supplements that contain live bacteria which can be helpful to health – are more common in unpasteurized milk and raw milk products. However, raw milk is usually Lack of probiotics and has significantly more harmful bacteria. Probiotics are added to many dairy products resembling yoghurt after pasteurization.

In addition, a 2011 review of obtainable research on the health advantages of raw milk found that a lot of these studies carried out with poor methodswhich implies that their results ought to be interpreted with caution.

What health risks are there in consuming raw milk?

The health risks related to consuming raw, unpasteurized milk arise from the harmful microorganisms it could contain.

Raw milk is related to Hundreds of outbreaks of foodborne illnessesBetween 1998 and 2018 202 outbreaks resulted in 2,645 illnesses and 228 hospitalizations. More recently, from 2022 to 2023, there have been 18 outbreaks and recalls related to raw milk. Number of outbreaks and reminds In reference to pathogens in raw milk, there have already been several cases of illness in 2024. In all cases, pathogens contained in raw milk that cause disease in humans were directly liable for these illnesses.

Some diseases attributable to pathogens in raw milk can serious long-term consequencesincluding paralysis, kidney failure and death.

Researchers found that areas where raw milk was legally sold within the United States from 1998 to 2018, over 3 times more outbreaks than in areas where the sale of raw milk was illegal. In areas where raw milk was allowed to be sold at retail, there have been almost 4 times more outbreaks than in areas where sales were only allowed on farms.

Is it suitable for eating foods comprised of raw milk?

Many, if not all, dairy products comprised of unpasteurized milk will not be protected for consumptionRaw milk may be used to make quite a lot of products, including soft cheeses resembling Brie and Camembert, Mexican-style soft cheeses resembling Queso Fresco, Panela, Asadero and Queso Blanco, yogurt and pudding, and ice cream or frozen yogurt. Pathogens in raw milk can survive the processes used to make these dairy products and are subsequently not protected for consumption.

Only products that undergo a process to inhibit or kill harmful microorganisms may be protected enough to be comprised of unpasteurized milk. However, the danger of cross-contamination of raw and cooked foods, in addition to the survival of pathogens because of inadequate processing, is high when products comprised of raw milk.

Can pasteurized milk still make you sick?

The few reported outbreaks related to pasteurized milk may be traced back to Contamination after pasteurization. When handled properly, pasteurized milk is a really protected product.

The US government requires farmers to Destroy milk from flocks infected with bird flu. By June 2024, 12 states have reported Herds positive with H1N5the virus that causes bird flu.

There is currently no evidence that Consumption of pasteurized milk from infected cows causes disease in humans. Based on the available evidence, the Food and Drug Administration currently states that pasteurization able to destroying or inactivating heat-sensitive viruses resembling H5N1 in milk.

However, consuming raw milk may pose a risk of transmitting disease to other people.

Can drinking raw milk provide immunity to H5N1?

Some people imagine that drinking raw milk can strengthen your immune system. However, there are no scientific evidence to support that drinking raw milk can improve immunity to disease.

Vaccines train your body to guard itself against future infections without actually getting that infection. It does this by exposing your immune system to very small amounts of dead or severely weakened pathogens.

Raw milk incorporates live H5N1 viruswhich implies it could still infect you and make you sick. Instead of boosting your immunity, raw milk exposes you to the virus at its full strength and could cause serious illness. Any protective antibodies present in raw milk are more likely to be broken down in stomach acid.

In addition, individuals who grow to be infected with bird flu through raw milk are vulnerable to transmitting the virus to other people or animals, as they provide the virus the chance to adapt and improve the power of the virus to spread between people, increasing the danger of further outbreaks.