The appetite for illicit drinks is increasing across the country. Raw milk cannot be legally sold for human consumption in many states. But an estimated 11 million Americans still drink it as health influencers, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., extol its benefits. They do so despite the clear risks. disease And death: E. coli, Salmonella, and Listeria have been found in unpasteurized milk.
This year, a new pathogen was added to the list. Bird flu was first detected in America. dairy cattle In March and June, an FDA study found infectious virus particles in dozens of raw milk samples. Previous bird flu outbreaks have had their share of cases. Died With more than half of those infected, this week California health officials temporarily shut down production at Raw Farm, a raw dairy product. Since the bird flu virus was detected in their products, Raw Farm CEO Mark McAfee told me “our consumers are freaking out,” and not because they’re afraid of contracting the potentially life-threatening virus. But it’s because their supply is at risk. According to McAfee, concerns about further shutdowns are driving raw milk drinkers across the country. “Try to do as much as you can.”
Stocking up on bird flu juice may seem illogical to most Americans. But it is also a logical extension of the ideology that drives raw milk lovers. The basic attraction of raw milk is its rawness, which includes all the bioactive molecules that pass from the breast to the glass. Either it makes you stronger or it makes you sick. Makes it both healthy and safe. For those who drink raw milk Perception of the health benefits of raw milk outweighs or risks may be belied.
Health authorities confirm that pasteurized milk is the healthiest and safest choice. From 1998 to 2018, 202 outbreak of foodborne disease Linked to raw milk Only nine were linked to pasteurized milk. When bird flu first appeared in dairy cattle, the CDC and FDA assured the public that the virus would be inactivated by pasteurization. As a result, normal milk is safe. (Even if they are full of harmless virus particles.) The dairy industry echoes these issues. “There are no benefits to consuming raw milk compared to pasteurized milk,” a National Dairy Council spokesperson told me. “Some people have a strong emotional investment in believing that. But scientific research has not been able to confirm this.”
Although enthusiasm for drinking raw milk is not supported by research, But the arguments in favor of the drink are still discussed in scientific terms. The main health argument in favor of the drink is that it contains bioactive compounds or biologically active substances—A chemical whose action in the body may provide health benefits—is present in foods such as fruit, whole grains, and red wine and can be inhibited by pasteurization, McAfee said in 2021. studyLed by Tiantian Lin from Cornell University, it has been shown that raw milk can contain bioactive compounds known to fight high blood pressure, cancer, inflammation and viruses. When I called Lin this week, She told me that these bioactive compounds are present in raw milk in low concentrations. But to achieve the recommended daily dosage of bioactive substances. You will need to drink a lot of raw milk – up to four times. liters per day for the protein lactoferrin etc. Pasteurized milk is sometimes fortified with additional bioactive substances such as calcium and vitamin D. To increase health benefits Regardless of the potential benefits from the bioactive compounds in raw milk, Lin said drinking it is too unsafe to recommend.
Raw milk drinkers also confirm that unpasteurized milk boosts immunity. Therefore, drinking milk is not dangerous, but it is preventive. The basic idea, according to the Raw Milk Institute, a trade and advocacy organization, is that exposure to “active immune factors Biodiversity, prebiotics, complete protective proteins and other elements” in raw milk will help build the immune system. Helps prevent infections, asthma, eczema and allergies at a reduced rate. Raw milk is also believed to support the health of the gut microbiome. same as yogurt These arguments are more than a century old. In 1910, at the New York Dairy Conference, “Raw milk advocates argue that heating destroys many of the nutritional properties of milk. The same is true for beneficial bacteria,” Pace E. University sociologist Melanie Dupuis writes in her book. Milk: Nature’s Perfect Food– McAfee told me bird flu doesn’t worry him because the virus is “inactivated by bioactive substances and antibodies in raw milk.” Some bioactive substances have antiviral effects. But raw milk has not been shown to be effective against bird flu. At the beginning of last year Most health enthusiasts are from California. Find it out. Raw milk contaminated with bird flu in hopes that drinking the milk would provide antibodies. Drinking raw milk from this perspective is like taking children. Go to a measles party Immunity can result as long as everyone is alive.
Another important part of the claim about raw milk is that it has higher safety standards than pasteurized milk. This is an old argument, too. Dupuis told me that when pasteurization was introduced in major American dairies in the 1890s, raw milk advocates argued that American dairies could be kept clean. So much so that the milk produced is as safe as with pasteurized milk Certification of raw milk parlors is a good idea. But maintaining those high standards is so expensive that the resulting milk is highly unaffordable, Dupuis writes in milk– This week McAfee told me that his farm takes care of Production standards of the Raw Milk Institute that he founded This includes regular testing of milk for pathogens and screening of cattle for disease. and maintaining the same maximum bacteria levels as with pasteurized milk. Of course, this point is inconsistent with the argument that raw milk is not risky in the first place.
So far, no other raw dairy farms in the United States have been closed due to bird flu. But nationwide, 695 dairy herds in 15 states have tested positive for avian influenza. The idea that Raw Farm is the only provider of raw milk products containing avian influenza seems incomprehensible. The exact risks to people who drink it are not clear. There have been no reports of people being infected with bird flu after drinking contaminated raw milk. But the cat that did so has died.
Amid uncertain risks and increasing rates of avian influenza in cattle Raw milk is becoming an increasingly political issue. In the state of ArkansasRaw milk revolution” The October rally preceded a proposal for a bill that Reduce control over sales– The Texas Agriculture Commissioner argued against legalizing raw milk in the past. editorial, writing, “There is nothing more American than the freedom to choose the type of food you eat.” Several weeks ago, Kennedy, who may soon lead the Department of Health and Human Services, has promised to end FDA’s “Strict Crackdown on Raw Milk”
The foundation of Kennedy’s crusade was to challenge establishment opinion. It’s not just about raw milk. But it also includes beef tallow, fluoride and vaccines. Among his followers, action against Raw Farm by California health officials can only increase the appeal of raw milk. All of this comes just as the dangers from raw milk may skyrocket due to bird flu. Which is why Raw Farm was put on ice. This is despite the fact that bird flu is increasingly being found in raw dairy products and the government is shutting down more and more farms. But the thirst for raw milk is only increasing.
