The Raw Milk Debate

According to John Hopkins Medicine, breast milk provides better nutrients which are better absorbed and provide better brain and nervous system development. Studies also show breastfed babies do better on intelligence tests as they grow older, their eyes work better, and they have more disease-fighting factors and far fewer digestive, lung, and ear infections.

Just what is breast milk? It’s raw milk in its most natural state. Yet, when it comes to raw milk from a cow or a goat, doctors and medical advisors would have us believe it’s the worst thing a person could consume. They claim consuming raw milk is turning back the clock and destroying hard-fought advances in children’s health beginning decades ago.

The American Academy of Pediatrics renewed their stance against raw milk. For 100+ years, dairy producers in the US have briefly heated milk to kill the array of potentially dangerous pathogens that could dwell in and around cattle that could possibly migrate into the milk. The simple process of pasteurization reportedly contributed to a sharp, drop in infant deaths and illnesses. However, I’d like to add that pasteurization pretty much coincides with the overall improvement in everyday hygiene at the time.

Personally, I don’t believe raw milk is the problem, but the transition from udder to shelf. For a five-year stretch, I bought raw milk straight from the farm. Never got sick! The milk I bought went straight from the cow to the refrigeration unit via sterilized equipment. I can’t get it easily where I now live.

State laws have been loosening regulations on raw milk. Good! At least 27 states now allow raw milk sales. Good! According to AAP, though, outbreaks from raw milk have increased over the past two decades, with nearly half the illnesses being children. It begs three questions. Was it the milk… or the transition to the shelf? Was it tested along the way? How were “children” defined?

ProPublica recently ran a story of a 17-month-old girl who nearly died after acquiring E. coli from drinking raw goat milk. She developed life-threatening hemolytic uremic syndrome which destroys red blood cells and damages blood vessels in the kidneys. She will have lasting effects.

Sadly, her mother was unaware of the potential dangers of unpasteurized dairy, and trusted information on social media, which… makes her a bad mother. Social media is not science; shame on her stupidity. Then there’s the argument of nutritional value. Personally, I’m of the firm belief that raw milk contains beneficial enzymes which heat destroys. Even the National Institute of Health, as well as the American Pregnancy Association, states breast milk contains beneficial enzymes. It’s only logical that milk from other mammals also do.

Contrary to those who truly believe nature is best, the AAP endorses a ban on the sale or distribution of unpasteurized milk and milk products throughout the United States. Perhaps they should simply stick to giving recommendations, and let every person and adult have the freedom to choose for themselves. They claim scientific evidence proves pasteurization does not alter the nutritional value. However, enzymes do help in absorbing those nutrients.

Source used: arstechnica.com

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