Cravings for illicit beverages are on the rise across the country. Although raw milk cannot be legally sold for human consumption in many states, health influencers including Robert F. Kennedy Jr. have extolled the benefits of raw milk. Approximately 11 million Americans drink raw milk. They do so despite the well-established risks. disease And death: E. coli, salmonella, and listeria have all been detected in unpasteurized milk.
This year, a new pathogen was added to the list. Bird flu was first detected in the United States dairy cow FDA investigations in March and June found infectious virus particles in dozens of raw milk samples. Overall, the outbreak of bird influenza so far has been killed More than half of people will become infected. This week, California health officials temporarily halted production at raw milk dairy company Raw Farms after avian influenza virus was detected in the product. “Consumers are panicking,” said Mark McAfee, who runs Law Firm. They say it’s not because they fear exposure to the potentially deadly virus, but because supplies are at risk. McAfee said raw milk drinkers across the country are “trying to grab whatever they can” due to fears of further closures.
Stocking up on bird flu juice may seem pointless to most Americans, but it’s a logical extension of the ideology that drives raw milk enthusiasts. The basic appeal of raw milk is that it contains all the biologically active molecules that pass from the breast to the glass, whether fortifying or distasteful, and its rawness makes it healthy and safe. That’s it. For people who drink raw milk, the health benefits of raw milk can outweigh or even negate the risks.
Health organizations claim that pasteurized milk is the healthiest and safest option. From 1998 to 2018, 202 Outbreak of food poisoning It was associated with raw milk. Only nine cases were related to pasteurized milk. When avian influenza first appeared in dairy cows, the CDC and FDA assured the public that the virus had been inactivated by pasteurization, making conventional milk safe (despite containing many harmless virus particles). figure). The dairy industry agrees with these points. “There are no proven benefits to consuming raw milk compared to pasteurized milk,” a spokesperson for the National Dairy Council told me. “Some people emotionally believe this, but scientific research has not verified this.”
Even if enthusiasm for raw milk isn’t backed up by research, the arguments in favor of this beverage are explained from a scientific perspective. The main health arguments in favor of this drink are that it contains biologically active compounds or Physiologically active substances—chemicals that may have health benefits through their actions in the body—found in foods such as fruit, whole grains, and red wine, and can be inactivated by pasteurization. McAfee talks about 2021 studyA research team led by Tiantian Lin of Cornell University has shown that raw milk may contain bioactive substances known to affect hypertension, cancer, inflammation, and viruses. . When I called Lynn this week, she explained that while these bioactive substances are indeed present in low concentrations in raw milk, you need to drink large amounts of raw milk to reach the recommended daily intake of certain bioactive substances. That means you have to drink up to four glasses of raw milk, she said. For example, for the protein lactoferrin liters per day. Pasteurized milk is sometimes fortified with additional bioactive substances such as calcium and vitamin D to add health benefits. No matter what benefits may be derived from the biologically active substances in raw milk, drinking raw milk is too dangerous to recommend, Lin said.
Raw milk drinkers also claim that unpasteurized milk boosts immunity, so drinking raw milk is not harmful, but rather protective. The basic idea, according to the Raw Milk Research Institute, a trade and advocacy group, is that you are exposed to “active immune factors, biodiversity, prebiotics, intact protective proteins, and other elements” found in raw milk. It builds up your immune system and helps defend against infections. Reduces illness and reduces the incidence of asthma, eczema, and allergies. Raw milk, like yogurt, is also thought to support a healthy gut microbiome. These debates date back more than a century. At the 1910 New York Milk Conference, “proponents of raw milk argued that heating destroyed much of the milk’s nutritional value and beneficial bacteria,” wrote sociologist E. Mélanie Dupuis of Pace University. I am writing inside. Milk: nature’s perfect food. McAfee said there was no need to worry about avian influenza, as it was “inactivated by bioactive compounds and antibodies in raw milk.” Although some bioactive substances have antiviral activity, raw milk has not been shown to neutralize avian influenza. Earlier this year, wellness enthusiasts primarily from California I found it The hope is that drinking raw milk contaminated with avian influenza will produce antibodies. In this idea, drinking raw milk is like taking your kids to a measles party. As long as everyone survives, there is a chance of immunity.
Another important part of raw milk’s claim is that it is held to higher safety standards than pasteurized milk. This is also an old argument. Mr. Dupuis told me that when pasteurization was first introduced to major U.S. dairies in the 1890s, raw milk advocates believed that keeping the U.S. dairy industry extremely clean would reduce the amount of milk produced. claimed that it would be as safe as pasteurized milk. While certifying raw milk dairy products was a good idea, maintaining that high standard was very costly and the resulting milk was very unaffordable, Dupuis writes. . milk. Mr. McAfee announced this week that his farm production standards Dr. of the Raw Milk Research Institute he founded. These include regularly testing milk for pathogens, screening cows for disease, and maintaining the same maximum bacteria levels as pasteurized milk. Of course, this point does not apply to the argument that raw milk is risk-free in the first place.
So far, no other raw milk farms in the United States have closed due to avian influenza. But nationally, 695 dairy herds in 15 states have tested positive for avian influenza. The idea that Law Farms is the only raw milk supplier with avian influenza in its products seems far-fetched. It is still unclear what risks it poses to those who drink it. There have been no reports of people contracting bird flu after drinking contaminated raw milk, but cats infected with bird flu have died.
Amid this uncertain risk and rising rates of avian influenza in cattle, raw milk is becoming increasingly politicized. In Arkansas,raw milk revolutionA meeting was held in October prior to the proposal of the bill. Relax sales regulations. The Texas Agriculture Commissioner is pushing for the legalization of raw milk in recent legislation. editor, author, “There is nothing more American than the freedom to choose what kind of food you eat.” A few weeks ago, Mr. Kennedy, who will soon lead the Department of Health and Human Services, announced that the FDA would end its “aggressive suppression” of raw milk. I promised.
The basis of Kennedy’s movement is to oppose establishment views not only on raw milk, but also on tallow, fluoride, and vaccines. Among his supporters, they believe actions by California public health officials against law farms will only further strengthen raw milk’s radical appeal. All of this is happening just when the dangers of raw milk could skyrocket thanks to avian influenza, which is exactly why the raw farm was put on ice. The craving for raw milk will only increase, even as bird flu is detected in more raw milk products and more farms are shut down by governments.
