United States raw milk debate

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1 Pasteurization
- 1.1 Views by supporters
- 1.2 Views by opponents
  - 1.2.1 Diseased cows
2 External links
- 2.1 Opponents of raw milk
- 2.2 Supporters of raw milk

[edit] Pasteurization

This section appears to contradict itself about which views are held by people on which side of the debate over pasteurization. Please see the discussion on the talk page.

[edit] Views by supporters

Proponents believe that it preserves the natural flavors, and claim that calves fed pasteurized milk die before maturity. They believe that:

The pasteurization process kills most, if not all, resident microorganisms (including beneficial ones that aid in its digestion and metabolization) and many nutritional constituents. The resulting pasteurized product causes digestive problems, is less nutritional and turns rancid (as opposed to souring) when aging.
The beneficial bacteria (probiotics) promote good health by crowding out bad bacteria (competitive exclusion) and help prevent yeast overgrowth in the intestinal tract, such as of Candida.
Pasteurization enables the milk industry to raise cows in less-expensive, less-healthy (constrained, crowded and filthy) conditions. Organic raw milk produced in such industrial conditions would, as critics charge, be very unhealthy. [1].
Enzymes are destroyed by pasteurization which would aid in digestion. Lactase is an enzyme created by bacteria present in raw milk, but not in pasteurized milk, that aids digestion of the milk sugar lactose. Many lactose intolerant individuals can drink unpasteurized dairy products for this reason.
Raw milk will sour naturally due to the bacterial production of lactic acid (such as Lactobacillus acidophilus), and still be healthy, whereas pasteurized milk, which lacks the healthy bacteria, will only putrefy.
People with genetic connective tissue disorders (such as Ehlers-Danlos syndrome) that prevent them from making at least one protein in collagen, may be able to absorb this from raw animal sources such as raw milk.

Advocates of raw milk often promote:

Dairy cattle being organically grass-fed without being fed hormones or antibiotics. This method has been shown to produce omega 3 fatty acids in the milk, which are rarely found in large-scale commercial dairy products.^{[citation needed]}
Whole milk - they believe the fat in raw milk promotes good health.

The majority of the milk in the U.S. comes from Holstein cattle, which produce the most milk of all common cow breeds. Some raw milk dairies raise Holsteins, but many raw milk dairies feature milk from Jersey cattle, which are smaller than Holsteins and produce milk higher in butterfat, or from Guernsey cattle, which are slightly larger than Jerseys, and produce larger volumes of less-rich milk.

A great deal of raw milk is purchased directly at the farm, due to legal restrictions regarding sale at stores. Buying milk directly from the farm typically means getting milk that is only a few hours old. If properly refrigerated, raw milk will keep 8 days, versus the 5-6 days for the much-handled pasteurized milk purchased in a supermarket.

[edit] Views by opponents

The pasteurization process for milk was implemented specifically to kill common pathogens, believed to have been transmitted by milk, and secondarily, to give milk a longer shelf life by reducing the number of spoilage-causing organisms. The most significant diseases transmitted by milk are salmonellosis, brucellosis, tuberculosis, and campylobacteriosis.

Opponents, including the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the group Public Citizen, cite the dangers of pathogens and dispute the health claims. Owing to the lack of pasteurization, raw milk must be produced under strict sanitary conditions, has a shorter shelf life and must be maintained consistently at a low (<40°F) temperature. Despite the restrictions and conditions imposed on producers of raw milk, the FDA states "raw milk, no matter how carefully produced, may be unsafe."

Raw milk is frequently promoted as a "health food," especially to those who are already ill or have compromised immune systems, such as patients with cancer or AIDS^{[citation needed]}. The additional load presented to the immune system from disease-causing bacteria present in raw milk can be too much for the body to bear. A notable opportunistic infector of elderly and immunocompromised patients is Salmonella dublin.

Between 2001 and 2004, an outbreak of tuberculosis, which health officials believed to be from unlabelled, illegally imported, Mexican soft raw milk cheese, caused the death of one infant and sickening of dozens of people in New York City. [2]

Some people say that pasteurized milk converts the protein casein into beta-casomorphin-7, which some in turn link to autism. This argument is based on incorrect knowledge of casein digestion. The process of human digestion, not pasteurization, converts casein into casomorphins (including beta-casomorphin-7) regardless of whether the consumed milk product was pasteurized. Since a person's body creates these byproducts from any casein it encounters, it makes no difference as to the source of the casein, be it from raw or pasteurized milk, cheese, yogurt, etc. In addition, casein and casein micelles are not degraded by pasteurization temperatures [3], but are coagulated upon boiling, which explains the different consistency of boiled milk. In regard to total elimination of casein from a person's diet, see gluten-free, casein-free diet for more information on reported effects of this particular diet.

[edit] Diseased cows

Cows with mastitis, an infection of their breast tissue, pass the infecting bacteria into their milk. The most significant bacteria causing bovine mastitis are Streptococcus agalactiae (and other streptococcus species), Staphylococcus aureus, various species of Mycoplasma, and coliform bacteria, all of which are human pathogens.

Cows that carry internal salmonella infections, especially Salmonella dublin, can shed the bacteria in their milk, despite external washing and cleaning of their udders. In addition, many kinds of bacteria can continue to reside on the udders' surface after washings, including salmonella and staphylococcus.

Buying "certified" raw milk is no guarantee that the milk is disease-free: some cases of Salmonella dublin infection in humans have been caused by consumption of infected certified raw milk.^{[citation needed]} Certification of raw milk is performed by a dairy industry association, not by public health authorities.