Raw milk contains many components that kill pathogens and strengthen the immune system. These include lacto-peroxidase, lacto-ferrin, anti-microbial components of blood (leukocytes, B-macrophages, neutrophils, T-lymphocytes, immunoglobulins and antibodies), special carbohydrates (polysaccharides and oligosaccharides), special fats (medium chain fatty acids, phospholipids and spingolipids), complement enzymes, lysozyme, hormones, growth factors, mucins, fibronectin, glycomacropeptide, beneficial bacteria, bifidus factor and B12-binding protein. These components are largely inactivated by the heat of pasteurization and ultrapasteurization. For further information, see Part I of our Campaign for Real Milk PowerPoint Presentation. This five-fold protective system destroys pathogens in the milk, stimulates the Immune system, builds healthy gut wall, prevents absorption of pathogens and toxins in the gut and ensures assimilation of all the nutrients. So powerful is the anti-microbial system in raw milk that when large quantities of pathogens are added to raw milk, their numbers diminish over time and eventually disappear. For a discussion of scientific papers showing the pathogen-killing properties of raw milk, see Does Raw Milk Kill Pathogens? by Dr. Ted Beals. It is important to stress, however, that even this magnificent anti-microbial system can be overwhelmed by highly unsanitary conditions. That is why we do not recommend raw milk from confinement dairies, or raw milk that is produced under unsanitary conditions. Q. How safe is real raw milk compared to other foods? It is very difficult to determine the risk of drinking raw milk on a per-serving basis compared to pasteurized milk and to other foods. For starters, the risk of illness from all dairy foods, raw and pasteurized, is very low compared to other foods—amounting to only 1 percent of all illnesses. A government document published in 2003 indicates that on a per-serving basis, deli meats are ten times more likely to cause food-borne illness than raw milk (Listeria Monocytogenes Risk Assessment: Interpretive Summary, Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition, Sept. 2003, page 17). For an analysis of the comparative safety of raw versus pasteurized milk see Those Pathogens, What You Should Know by Dr. Ted Beals. On a per-serving basis, raw milk is as safe or several times safer than pasteurized milk. See our press release on these findings, Government Data Proves Raw Milk Safe, and this Safety of Raw Milk Summary PowerPoint Presentation. Q. Why do we hear about raw milk causing health problems so frequently? Health officials are highly biased against raw milk and published reports reflect that bias. Very often raw milk is blamed for an outbreak of illness without proof, or even for an outbreak that affected many people who did not consume raw milk. For example, an outbreak in Wisconsin in 2001 that sickened many hundreds of people was blamed on a raw milk cow-share program even though only a few of the hundreds of cow-share participants got sick (see Wisconsin Campylobacter Outbreak Falsely Blamed on Raw Milk). For a discussion of the bias against raw milk and some of the techniques used to create that bias, see the following: Summary: Response to Anti-Raw Milk Position Paper by Bill Marler, JD (PDF) Rebuttal to the FDA article: “Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption” (PDF) “The Safety of Raw vs. Pasteurized Milk” (PDF), chapter 15 of The Untold Story of Milk by Ron Schmid, New Trends Publishing For an analysis of every published report claiming that raw milk caused illness, see Response to Anti-Raw Milk Article Published in Clinical Infectious Diseases (PDF) For a response to testimony by John Sheehan, head of dairy safety at the FDA, see Response to the Testimony of John F. Sheehan (PDF)
Posted on: Sat, 23 Nov 2013 02:27:43 +0000