There’s something about the health industry today that wants us to believe that foods need to be covered in pesticides, genetically modified, or thoroughly pasteurized before the human body can consume it. In the case of milk, the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) would prefer us to have the opinion that raw milk is a raging health hazard with the life-threatening potential to cause health issues everywhere (1).

Researchers, doctors, and health and medical professionals all across Europe have joined together in an effort to examine the real effects of drinking raw milk. These studies not only revealed that raw milk isn’t simply non-toxic, but it actually has some amazing health benefits (1).

What do the studies say about raw milk?

According to a new study published by The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, raw milk actually helps to prevent colds, viruses, and respiratory tract infections (RTIs) for children (2). This is wildly more beneficial than the commercially processed milks that provide little to no health benefits to the consumer (2).

For the study, researchers gathered a group of pregnant women in their third trimester, and approximately half of these women worked on livestock farms in rural areas in central Europe (1). The researchers inquired for the women’s dietary and lifestyle habits in great detail, including their milk consumption. Overall, 983 children were also included on the final data set which lead to test results about raw milk: its immune-boosting effects are incredibly superior to conventional, pasteurized milks (and even ‘organic’ milk)(1).

Why is raw milk better?

Functioning much like breast milk, the researchers discovered that raw milk imparts immunity to its consumers (1). Raw milk helps reduce C-reactive proteins, which are directly associated with inflammation, and raw milk is also incredibly rich in natural food enzymes like lactase, lipase, and phosphatase, which help your body digest and metabolize vital nutrients (1, 3). Also rich in vitamins, raw milk contains beneficial bacteria that are crucial to your health (3). In fact, some of these bacteria are so important that human health cannot be maintained without them, and yet they become utterly destroyed by pasteurization (3).

Speaking of pasteurization, conventional milk holds none of these benefits. In fact, it’s been shown that pasteurized milk can actually be a contributor of inflammation due the the proteins that are altered during the pasteurization process (1). Pasteurized milk not only lacks benefits, but it has the ability to actually harm the human body!

Research authors report that “The main finding of this analysis was an inverse association between consumption of unprocessed cow’s milk and rhinitis (cold or runny nose), RTI (respiratory tract infections), and otitis (ear infection)”(1). The researchers went on to explain that raw cow’s milk produces the greatest positive influence on these issues, while pasteurized milk produces the least results (1).

Conclusion

We’ve been lead to believe for most of our lives that raw milk is a bad thing that should be heavily avoided, but research today is showing the truth to be the precise opposite! Raw milk has been shown to reduce allergies, increase hair, skin, and nail health, prevent nutrient deficiencies, help in weight loss, boost the immune system, aid the digestive system, and more (4). Pasteurized milk has proven to do nothing to help maintain human health. Maybe it’s time to start adding raw milk to our grocery stores again?