Throughout your life, you may have been lead to believe that raw milk is dangerous and should be avoided. But new research suggests there may be some health benefits unique to raw milk. By staying away from this dairy drink, you may be missing some vital health benefits. Unpasteurized milk has been linked with numerous health benefits including higher bone density, clearer skin, and a reduced risk of allergies and inflammation. It could be time to begin incorporating this healthy superfood into your daily diet.
Raw milk is milk that hasn’t undergone the pasteurization procedure and been heated to kill potential bacteria.
The best variety is obtained from grass-fed cows or goats. Organic milk might be higher in anticancer and heart-healthy fat-soluble vitamins than the milk from factory-farm cows. For those that don’t have a milk sensitivity, this can provide a wealth of health benefits.
Being unhomogenized and unpasteurized, raw milk from grass-fed cows or goats comes intact with all the natural enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids that baby calves and kids need, and this can also contribute to human health.
However, the big question with raw milk is whether it could be dangerous due to potentially containing harmful bacteria. The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) explains that raw milk poses health hazards with the potential for life-threatening health issues. Other independent studies show that up to one-third of raw milk tests positive for dangerous pathogens, even when it is sourced from rigorously inspected facilities.
On the other hand though, the odds of developing a food-borne illness from milk, even raw milk, is extremely low. Most food poisoning incidents occur because of vegetables or meat, and even then, of those who do become ill from raw milk, few are likely to die of the illness.
Special caution is required however, because most of those who fall ill are children or those with weakened immune systems. Thus, if you are planning to try raw milk, it is best to only give it to healthy adults who are aware of the risks.
Some feel the benefits are worth the risk. When milk is subjected to the process of pasteurization and homogenization, the natural enzymes and good bacteria can be heated and destroyed along with the bad bacteria. This reduces it’s health benefits for some.
A study published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that raw milk might help prevent respiratory tract infections, colds, and viruses in children.
The study participants involved pregnant women in their third trimester. Over half of the women were from the rural areas from central Europe working on livestock farms. During the study, researchers carried out an extensive inquiry about the women’s lifestyle and dietary habits including their milk intake. Then, they followed their 938 children over their first year of life with regular questionnaires to test how often the children got sick.
The findings showed an inverse association between the intake of unprocessed cow milk and respiratory tract, ear, and sinus infections. The children consuming raw dairy appeared to be 30% less likely to develop these infections, much in the same way that breast milk has a protective effect on the health of infants.
However, it should be noted that other factors may have been involved in the number of infections these infants developed, such as improved immunity from living in a farm environment and lack of contact with sick people. Because these results relied on health diaries kept by parents, there is also the potential for bias and mistakes in the records.
Further, as the researchers in the study suggested, these possible benefits of raw milk are only valuable if the dangers of potential pathogens in the milk can be reduced. The immune systems of infants and children are especially vulnerable to the types of pathogens that have been found in up to one third of raw milk, even from rigorously inspected sources. These pathogens can cause extreme illness, from paralysis to kidney failure and lifetime dialysis, so consuming raw milk or giving it to your children is not a risk that should be taken lightly.
The food you eat plays a significant role in nourishing and strengthening your body and helping fight stress. The NeuroEndoMetabolic (NEM) Stress Response System is your body’s natural stress-fighting mechanism. It comprises of various organs and six circuits including the inflammatory circuit. A pair of walnut-shaped adrenal glands located on the top of your kidneys is also a part of the response system. When under stress, the NEM signals your adrenals to secrete the anti-stress hormone cortisol to deal with the stress. However, constant stress can overburden your adrenal glands, decreasing the secretion of cortisol. This reduces your body’s natural stress-fighting ability which can lead to adrenal fatigue.
Frequently experiencing extreme fatigue along with symptoms of brain fog, insomnia, lightheadedness, difficulty waking, low energy levels, constipation, low concentration levels, anxiety, stubborn weight gain, and craving for salty and fatty foods could be indicative of Adrenal Fatigue Syndrome (AFS). Raw milk is rich in nutrients which help boost energy levels, strengthen immunity, fight inflammation, and reduce the symptoms of adrenal fatigue.
The inflammatory circuit comprises the microbiome, gut, and immune system. Any imbalance in this circuit can lead to chemical and food sensitivities, recurrent illnesses with a prolonged healing period, musculoskeletal pain, worsening of autoimmune disorders, yeast infections, and leaky gut. An unhealthy gut can trigger inflammation in your body. Cultured dairy products from raw milk are rich in probiotics that help maintain a healthy gut flora, thus significantly reducing symptoms of inflammation.
When compared to conventional milk, raw milk may provide several significant health benefits. Milk in its raw form is believed to contain harmful bacteria, but research shows that the likelihood of dying from such bacteria is extremely low.
When conventional milk is pasteurized to remove these traces of bacteria, the high temperature destroys and alters the natural enzymes, antibodies, and nutrients in milk. This may be one reason why many find conventional milk difficult to digest and develop symptoms of inflammation and lactose intolerance. Interestingly, switching to raw milk has been found to help curb symptoms of lactose intolerance.
Here is why raw unprocessed milk is superior to conventional pasteurized milk:
Some research suggests that raw milk is rich in heart-healthy and anti-cancer fat-soluble vitamins which are essential for supporting the development of healthy bones and brain. It also helps in naturally balancing the hormones in your body. With pasteurization, the level of such healthy vitamins is significantly reduced.
Milk from grass-fed cows is rich in omega-3 fatty acids and butyrate which is known to provide relief from health issues related to slow metabolism, inflammation, and stress resistance. Japanese research on mice shows that butyrate can help in inflammatory bowel disease. Grass-fed milk is also high in conjugated linoleic acid which has been linked to helping prevent cancer, reducing body fat, and raising healthy cholesterol levels.
Cultured dairy products including kefir, yogurt, and cheese especially made from raw milk contain the richest amount of probiotics. They help prevent several diseases, maintain healthy gut health, and support better absorption of minerals such as phosphorus, calcium, and magnesium.
Packed in nutrition, incorporating raw milk into your diet on a regular basis has been suggested anecdotally to provide the below health benefits:
Raw milk contains natural food enzymes, essential vitamins, and healthy bacteria which help maintain health. Yet many of these beneficial compounds in milk are destroyed by pasteurization. However, while many people report experiencing these benefits personally, there is not a lot of research supporting their claims.
Here are some of the potential health benefits that raw milk might offer:
Some studies have shown that there is a definite possibility that children given raw milk are less likely to develop allergies than children drinking pasteurized milk. However, it is unclear in the studies what mechanism causes this, although it may have to do with the activation of different genes in the unpasteurized milk. It is also unclear whether the allergy-protective factor is caused by the children being raised in a farm environment, being exposed to more pathogens through the milk, or because of the increased consumption of full-fat grass-fed milk, which is higher in essential fatty acids and other compounds regardless of pasteurization.
The presence of natural food enzymes such as lipase, phosphatase, and lactase in this milk helps your body to digest and metabolize the nutrients in the milk. These enzymes are altered by the heating process of pasteurization.
Milk itself is rich in essential nutrients which can help prevent nutrient deficiencies. Just one serving contains about 50 mg magnesium, 500 mg potassium, and 400 mg calcium. Most children and adults are found to be deficient of these three vital nutrients. Incorporating milk in your diet could help meet these nutrition requirements.
Probiotics are health-friendly microorganisms that line your gut. These microorganisms help improve nutrient absorption and protect your system from bad bacteria. There are numerous probiotic supplements on the market. However, probiotics work best when consumed through food. Some of the best ways to incorporate natural probiotic foods into your diet are through yogurt, kefir, and cheese made from fermented raw milk. Eating probiotic foods can help fight irritable bowel syndrome, inflammatory bowel disease, diarrhea, weak immunity, intestinal infections, vaginal yeast infections, skin infections, and colon cancer.
Research has linked inflammation and imbalance in gut flora with various skin problems such as eczema and acne. Raw milk is rich in natural probiotics that help support a healthy balance of gut flora and reduce inflammation, which can give you healthy, clear skin. Grass-fed whole milk also contains healthy fats such as omega-3 fatty acids which help give your skin a healthy glow. In India, raw milk has been an integral part of natural beauty for ages. It is used in making natural face cleanser, body exfoliants, and face packs for getting brighter, glowing skin.
Inflammation is the root cause of various health problems, and it often begins in the gut with digestive conditions such as leaky gut leading to chronic inflammation in the body. The compounds in raw milk may have a protective effect on the lining of the gut, reducing or preventing the leakage of particles into the bloodstream that causes inflammation. Probiotics in raw milk may also help contribute to a healthy human microbiome and reduce inflammation in the body.
There is some evidence that raw milk contains more fat-soluble vitamins which cannot be found in pasteurized milk. Lack of fat-soluble vitamins has been suggested to be responsible for tooth decay and other nutrient deficiencies. The heating in pasteurization may destroy these nutrients.
Raw milk comes intact with essential minerals, natural enzymes, fat-soluble vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, short chain fatty acids, and healthy proteins making it a nutrient powerhouse. It may help solve some of the problems of those who find pasteurized milk difficult to digest, after the natural enzymes it contains are destroyed and altered by pasteurization. Especially fermented, it contains probiotics that can help reduce inflammation and natural enzymes that may improve digestion and help reduce allergies.
However, raw milk does not come without risks.
Pasteurization does kill dangerous pathogens that evidence shows up to one-third of even rigorously inspected raw milk may contain. These pathogens, such as E. coli may not cause death often, but they can and do maim, leading to serious complications such as a lifetime on dialysis or in a wheelchair. Thus, it is very important to do your research and weigh your options before trying raw milk, especially if you are planning to give it to children, or if you already have a compromised immune system as is the case with AFS.
Raw milk may provide some benefits that are lost through pasteurization. But pasteurization has benefits too. Ultimately the choice is up to you.
Raw milk can contain dangerous pathogens like E. coli and others, and research has found these pathogens in up to one-third of raw milk, even from well-inspected sources. While some people do not get sick from these pathogens and people tend not to die from milk-borne illnesses, the risk is still real. Until the risk of pathogens in milk can be reduced, it may be best to give children pasteurized, grass-fed whole-milk, to maximize the benefits while minimizing the risks.
