According to many reputable medical organizations and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), raw milk is considered to be extremely dangerous for the health of both adults and children. However, the latest studies suggest that people Raw Milk Institute from raw milk consumption.
CDC published in the popular medical magazine The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology claims that raw milk consumption can help children from viruses, colds, and respiratory tract infections, while processed milk has no effects or almost no effects in these cases.
A large group of doctors, researchers, and medical experts from Europe conducted this study. Their focus was to compare and determine the effects of raw milk and compare them with the ones produced by boiled fresh milk and processed milk found in the stores. This study was only a fragment of the huge investigatory project called “PASTURE”. It was conducted on women, around 50% of them living and working on farms in central Europe.
An interesting fact is that they were all pregnant in their third trimester and the study was centered on their lifestyle patterns like milk-drinking habits. The study also involved around 1000 children and the results confirmed that raw unprocessed milk is undoubtedly better than processed milk when it comes to immune system improvement.
Raw milk can be compared to breast milk because they have similar preventive health benefits for children. For example, processed milk doesn’t affect the levels of C-reactive proteins which affect inflammation. On the other hand, raw milk brings these levels down. This means that raw milk has strong anti-inflammatory properties.
This study showed a direct positive reaction in patients suffering from rhinitis, otitis, and respiratory tract infections when they consumed raw milk.
Raw Milk and Ultra-Heat Treated Commercial Milk
Can ultra-heat treated commercial milk help in cases of respiratory and other problems?
As mentioned before, ultra-heat-treated commercial milk consumption cannot help the body decrease the level of C-reactive protein – directly linked to respiratory problems. In fact, in many cases, this milk can increase their levels.
It was confirmed that raw milk can reduce these levels up to 30% which ultimately means that the children can heal much faster and without any problems. Even milk that is slightly processed can help although the effects are not the same compared to the ones from raw milk.
According to Dr. Ton Baars (one of the lead authors in this study), raw milk is very effective in treating infections and fever in young children and the effects in cases of allergies and asthma will need to be studied more thoroughly. It is good to point out that in Europe consumption of unprocessed milk is not something uncommon while in the United States there is a public paranoia caused by the media that raw milk is extremely dangerous. However, the Amish American community in the US is a clear example that consumption of raw milk is not dangerous and it can even improve immunity (Amish children are less likely to be given a diagnosis of asthma or some respiratory diseases).