Is raw milk healthy or harmful?

You may have noticed an uptick in mentions of raw milk recently. According to Google, interest has been slowly increasing since early 2022, but in the last few weeks, it has skyrocketed, particularly in the United States and New Zealand. 

But, according to scientists and medical professionals, raw milk doesn’t have any proven benefits over and above those of pasteurized milk. And it significantly increases your risk of catching an infection.

That’s worth reiterating: Raw milk won’t benefit you and might make you sick. That’s why we started pasteurizing it in the first place.

What is raw milk?

The only difference between raw and the standard milk you find in stores is that raw milk has not been heat-treated (pasteurized). 

Pasteurization involves heating milk to a high enough temperature to kill off disease-causing microbes and has been used in the US since the 1890s.

Sadly, since then, case numbers have been rising again, particularly in states where the sale of raw milk is legal.

One study found that unpasteurized dairy products cause 840 times more illnesses than pasteurized products. They’re also 45 times more likely to put you in hospital.

Why is raw milk so popular all of a sudden?

The rise and rise of health influencers and wellness gurus helps explain some of this renewed interest in raw milk. Because raw milk is considered more “natural,” it fits the wellness narrative — natural is always better (we’ll dig into this a little later).

Most people want to be healthier, and with so much misinformation circulating, it’s difficult to know what to do. Raw milk sounds “natural” and is “unprocessed,” both of which are attractive to consumers who are losing trust in institutions and unsure where to turn. 

Raw milk health claims

Some online sources claim that raw milk contains more nutrients, useful enzymes, and probiotics. They claim that drinking raw milk can reduce your risk of allergies and infections and that even people who are lactose intolerant can drink it.

Let’s tackle some of the most common myths:

• Raw milk is more nutritious: According to scientists, heating milk “will not substantially change the nutritional value of raw milk.” This includes levels of most vitamins and minerals.

• Raw milk proteins are easier to digest: Studies show this isn’t the case.

• Raw milk protects against infection: Milk contains certain proteins that help protect the growing calf from infection. Pasteurization does stop some of these enzymes and proteins from functioning, but so does cold storage of raw milk. Also, as we have seen, the risk of infection from raw milk is much higher than pasteurized milk.

• Pasteurization destroys helpful enzymes in milk: High heat does stop enzymes from working, but there are no known benefits of the enzymes in raw milk. Plus, your digestive enzymes and stomach acid break these enzymes down in your gut.

• Raw milk doesn’t contain lactose: This isn’t right; raw and pasteurized milk contain similar levels of lactose. So, people with lactose intolerance should avoid both.

• Raw milk protects against allergies, like hay fever: There’s no good evidence that this is the case. Some studies compared children living on farms who drank raw milk with children from more urban settings who didn’t. The children living on farms were less likely to have allergies. However, life on a farm has many other differences from urban living, so we can’t conclude that raw milk reduces the risk of developing allergies.

• Pasteurized milk causes allergies and lactose intolerance: There’s no evidence that this happens. None at all.

The overall conclusion is that raw milk doesn’t support your health more than pasteurized milk. Scientists are still investigating whether benefits exist, but as it stands, the risks far outweigh any potential, undiscovered benefits. 

Raw milk and infections

The theoretical health benefits of raw milk don’t stand up to scrutiny. On the other hand, the risks of drinking raw milk are impossible to ignore.

In fact, between 2013 and 2018, more than half of the illnesses caused by raw milk were in people aged 19 or younger.

Every time you choose raw milk, you’re taking a risk: Researchers found disease-causing (pathogenic) bacteria in one-third of the raw milk samples they tested.

According to the FDA, these are just some of the pathogenic microbes you might pick up from raw milk:

• Campylobacter

• Cryptosporidium

• E. coli

• Listeria

• Brucella

• Salmonella

At best, these pathogens will lead to stomach cramps, vomiting, and diarrhea. At their worst, some can lead to more serious conditions, including: 

• Guillain-Barré syndrome: A neurological autoimmune condition.

• Hemolytic uremic syndrome: A condition that can damage your organs and even lead to kidney failure.

Anyone who drinks raw milk can get sick if they consume these “bad” microbes, but some are more at risk: 

• children under 5

• adults aged 65 or over

• pregnant women

• people with a compromised immune system 

A thirst for ‘natural’ products

Grocery stores are full of products claiming to be natural. Why is this? Customers like the idea that what they are eating is pure in some way and not heavily processed.

This makes sense — we’re all increasingly aware that ultra-processed foods can impact our health. But just because something is natural doesn’t make it good for you.

So, pause for thought when you see words like “natural” on products. If it’s on a food label or advert, it’s designed to entice you. It’s not a genuine sign of a healthy product.

The naturalistic fallacy also plays an important role in the rising popularity of raw milk. Raw milk certainly is natural, but does briefly heating it at high temperatures strip away its naturalness? Not really; it’s essentially the same drink, but minus the dangerous pathogens.

And when you remember that cyanide is a natural chemical produced by plants, it’s clear that “natural” doesn’t necessarily mean healthy. It’s a con.

What should you do?

Skip raw milk. It’s no better for your health than pasteurized milk, but it might give you food poisoning.

Milk is rich in protein and other nutrients, so if you like milk, enjoy the pasteurized form and dodge a bout of gastric flu.