Raw milk poses threat, study says Cooney December 19, 2008 01:06 PM

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Raw milk and other unpasteurized dairy products are linked to a growing number of disease outbreaks, researchers warn.

Writing in the journal Clinical Infectious Diseases, scientists from the College of Veterinary Medicine in

Columbus, Ohio, say that the average number of disease outbreaks per

year associated with raw milk has more than doubled to 5.2 per year

from 1993 through 2006 compared to the previous 19 years.

Contamination with disease-causing bacteria can occur at any point

along the route from cow to human, including collection, processing,

distribution, and storage, the authors say. Pasteurization is the most

effective way to destroy microbes such as salmonella, E. coli, and

listeria. Last year's outbreak of listeriosis, in

which three people died, was unusual in that it was traced to

contamination after pasteurization at a Central Massachusetts dairy.

Pasteurization does not change the nutritional value of milk, according to prior research the authors cite. But raw milk adherents dispute that conclusion, saying the process destroys good bacteria along with the bad.

Massachusetts is among 28 states that allow the sale of raw milk.

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5 comments so far...

Outbreaks of 5.2 per year for how large an area? Ohio? The United States? The story should include this information!

Posted by Steve1950 December 19, 08 02:40 PM

Yes,

good bacteria are destroyed along with the bad. So are vitamins,

antihistamine and anti-inflammatory agents, and lactase. I can drink

raw milk without bloating or needing Lactaid, I haven't needed

medications for most of this year's allergy seasons, and my arthritis

is better. None of the raw milk drinkers I know, including my wife and

myself, have gotten E.coli, salmonella, or listeria. Most of these

diseases have occurred at conventional factory-farmed dairies, such as

the one in Central Massachusetts. That was not "unusual." The cows are

fed slop and confined, both of which create disease. Therefore it's

pasteurized milk you have to watch out for.

Posted by Gorlin December 19, 08 03:52 PM

After

25 years of drinking raw milk I am very happy to say that myself and my

family are much better health wise than before. I was very ill coming

into raw milk and my husband drank it all throughout his cancer

treatment. We both enjoy amazing good health now. My son now 23 has

never had anything else. He has no cavities and has all of his teeth.

He has no allergies which is really unusual because I come from a

family with lots of allergies. As a producer of raw milk I am careful

in the extream to make sure my milk is clean and well cared for. I will

never go back and will always have raw milk on my table. My many

customers say the same.

Posted by Schlicht / Christipaul Farm December 21, 08 09:28 AM

I

love the anecdotal responses from raw milk drinkers such as and

Chris. What if you knew someone who walked in front of a bus but was

barely injured and then met the love of his life on the way to the

hospital; would you want to try that too? Taking such risks is all

about playing the odds. Congratulations if you've drank raw milk and

haven't gotten sick. That doesn't discount the hundreds of thousands of

people who haven't been so lucky. As for the cleanliness to the extream

(sic) comment: cleanliness is very important for all food preparation

processes. But I've yet to meet anyone who can see a colony forming

unit or two of E. coli O157:H7. Not seeing it doesn't mean it isn't

there!

Posted by December 22, 08 04:18 PM

5. I

have to agree with the first comment that more information would be

helpful to this article. After reporting 3 deaths from pasteurized milk

in one incident, 5.2 illnesses annually from raw milk hardly seems

worth mentioning. Posted by Abigail December 24, 08 10:15 AM6. For the sake of argument if deaths range from 2.3 to 5.2 per year, for the sake of simplified math double and round off the figure to 10 deaths a year. At that rate in 10,000 years you do arrive at a figure of 100,000 deaths. I hope that Harvard teaches maths better than the article seems to imply.Rick in Delta Dec.25 08