Milk is a highly nutritious food that provides the body with vitamins, proteins, fatty acids, and minerals.
Pasteurization was introduced in the early to mid-1900s. Before this, only raw milk was consumed. The milk was consumed in its unprocessed, natural state.
The consumption of raw milk is increasing, thanks to the growing popularity of local, natural, farm-sourced foods and the perception that raw milk is healthier than processed milk (1).
This article examines the evidence to determine the benefits of drinking raw milk.
Photo By By Winston
What is raw milk?
Photo by Eiliv-Sonas Aceron on Unsplash
Raw milk is the best food for infants
Now, if you ask someone, “what is the best food for infants?” I’m sure they’ll say breast milk because it has been created over a long time as a survival thing.
Breast milk can help you to build a very healthy baby. If an infant is not fed breast milk, such infant is at risk of all sorts of health problems, including:
· Sudden death syndrome
· Obesity
· Diabetes
· Allergies…
And the list goes on and on and on.
Raw milk vs. pasteurized milk
Milk is heated to kill yeasts, bacteria, and molds when it is pasteurized. Pasteurization also increases the product’s shelf life (3, 4).
The most typical method of pasteurization in the United States today is High-Temperature, Short Time pasteurization. This method involves heating milk to a temperature of 161oF for 15 seconds (5).
Another method involves heating raw milk for 30 minutes to a temperature of 145oF for half an hour (30 minutes) (5, 6). This method is used globally.
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Another procedure, the Ultra-heat treatment (UHT), heats the milk to 135oC (275oF) for some seconds. This method is employed in some European countries (7).
The primary pasteurization method can maintain the freshness of your milk for 2–3 weeks. On the other hand, the UHT technique keeps the milk on the shelf for up to 9 months.
Most pasteurized milk is homogenized. Homogenization applies very high pressure to disperse the fatty acids evenly, improving the taste and appearance.
Raw milk, on the other hand, is not pasteurized or homogenized.
Potential raw milk benefits
Advocates for consuming raw milk argue that it is a natural food, complete in nutrients with plenty of antimicrobials, amino acids, minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids, compared to pasteurized milk.
Raw milk advocates also claim it is a healthier and better choice for people with asthma, lactose intolerance, and allergic and autoimmune conditions.
Pasteurization was introduced in the early 1900s in response to the bovine tuberculosis epidemic (cow tuberculosis) in Europe and the United States (8).
Advocates for raw milk consumption argue that most harmful bacteria destroyed by pasteurization are a long-foregone issue and that pasteurization is no longer necessary.
It is also believed that the heating that occurs during pasteurization reduces milk’s health benefits and overall nutritional content.
Raw milk is suitable for those with lactose intolerance
Lactose is milk sugar. Lactose is digested by lactase, an enzyme produced by your small intestines.
Some people are deficient in lactase. So, the lactose is left undigested in the bowel, where it ferments. This causes cramps, bloating, and diarrhea.
Pasteurized milk and raw milk contain similar amounts of lactose (9).
But it is also important to note that raw milk contains lactobacillus, a lactase-producing bacteria destroyed during bacteria. It is believed that this should improve lactose digestion in people who drink raw milk (10).
Raw milk is rich in antimicrobials
Raw milk contains more antimicrobials, such as immunoglobulin, lactoferrin, lysozyme, bacteriocins, lactoperoxidase, xanthine oxidase, and oligosaccharides. These antimicrobials control microbes and inhibit milk spoilage (11).
The activity of these antimicrobials is reduced when milk is refrigerated, whether it is pasteurized or raw milk.
Pasteurization reduces the activity of lactoperoxidase by over 30 percent (12, 13, 14).
Where can I find raw milk?
Now, you might think that raw milk is illegal in your state, but if you go to the website https://www.realmilk.com/, there are about 43 states where you can access raw milk.
So you can check it out and give raw milk a shot.
Disclaimer: Dr. Berner does not diagnose, treat, or prevent any medical diseases or conditions; instead, he analyzes and corrects the structure of his patients with Foundational Correction to improve their overall quality of life. He works with their physicians, who regulate their medications. This blog post is not designed to provide medical advice, professional diagnosis, opinion, treatment, or services to you or any other individual. The information provided in this post or through linkages to other sites is not a substitute for medical or professional care. You should not use the information in place of a visit, consultation, or the advice of your physician or another healthcare provider. Foundation Chiropractic and Dr. Brett Berner are not liable or responsible for any advice, the course of treatment, diagnosis, or any other information, services, or product you obtain through this article or others.
