One doctor has spoken out against the raw milk trend, warning that it’s not only pointless but also dangerous
Wellness and farm-centric influencers on social media have been hailing the supposed health benefits of raw milk, sparking a global rise in unpasteurised milk sales. They claim that raw milk can enhance gut health, boost one’s immune system, and even cure lactose intolerance among a myriad of other alleged benefits.
Immunologist and microbiologist Dr Andrea Love, however, has vocally dismissed these assertions on the Dr Karan Explores podcast, brutally criticising the trend and questioning why unpasteurised milk is permitted for sale at all. Talking to the host, Dr Karan Rajan, she stated: “None of that is based on reality.”
She continued her critique: “It’s really problematic and there’s zero reason why raw milk should be available for human consumption because it’s not healthier, it’s not more nutritious. It does contain pathogens. Even if there were more probiotic bacteria, by the time they get to your stomach, they’re going to be killed by your stomach acid because it’s extremely acidic and you have 40 trillion bacteria already in your GI tract.”
She stated that only a handful of probiotics might survive the harsh stomach acid, but they’re unlikely to make a significant difference to our health. Citing several studies, the physician reassured that pasteurisation doesn’t strip milk of its quality proteins, doesn’t alter how our bodies process it, and doesn’t result in any clinically significant loss of nutrition.
While the benefits are minimal, Dr Andrea emphasized that the dangers are substantial and more severe than influencers suggest. She cautioned: “You’re putting yourself at risk. You’re putting your family at risk. There’s zero reason we need to be enabling this. Certainly there’s a lot of reasons we shouldn’t be enabling it.”
Raw milk may harbour harmful bacteria such as Salmonella, E.coli, Listeria and diarrhoea-causing pathogens like Cryptosporidium and Campylobacter, which can be contagious. Moreover, the doctors expressed dismay over how this fad could undermine the legacy of Louis Pasteur, with Dr Karan jokingly noting, “(he) would be curdling in his grave”.
Dr Andrea addressed the assertions that raw milk can cure or alleviate allergies, asthma, and lactose intolerance, often citing the low incidence of these conditions in farm-raised children: “This is really kind of an observational association. There’s no causal data about this. There’s been studies, a couple of small studies that there’s no difference in lactose intolerant symptoms on raw versus pasteurised milk.”
