Is Raw Milk Healthy? Doctors' Analysis Against Fake News

"Freshly milked milk from a mountain hut seems like the prototype of a healthy food." "Without colorants or preservatives, it comes from a natural environment, where air and water are pure, and does not go through any industrial process." And yet, "it can be very dangerous. Unless you boil it before drinking it (an operation that, however, conflicts with the attribute 'raw' for which it is preferred)." The anti-fake news doctors of the portal 'Doctor, but is it true that...?', edited by Fnomceo (National Federation of Medical Associations), are warning. The latest news story that brought the issue back into the spotlight was the death a few days ago of Zoe Anne Guaiti, a mother expecting a baby, in the sixth month of pregnancy. High fever, abdominal pain and then septic shock. The hypothesis circulating is that raw milk could be involved. But other cases have ended up in the spotlight in recent months, some involving children who ended up in hospital in very serious conditions. And doctors and experts like virologist Roberto Burioni have repeatedly warned about the dangers of drinking raw milk. "It means running a serious and avoidable risk - Burioni reiterated again via social media - Better not to do it, you don't joke with your health".

"The risk does not only concern milk, but also cheese, dairy products, yogurt, ice cream and any other product made with this unpasteurized raw material - we read in the focus - Pasteurization is in fact the process with which, through exposure to heat for an adequate time, all the bacteria present in the food can be killed". Freshly collected milk from cows, sheep or goats "can be contaminated with germs that infect the animal or are present on its skin or in the udder, germs that come from their feces or are carried by insects or rodents, are present in the bucket, on the hands or clothes of the milker or in any case in the stable. The more hygienic the environment in which this procedure takes place, the lower the risks, which however do not disappear completely. To make it safe, before being placed on the market, the milk is then subjected to a process in strictly controlled industrial plants that can be traditional pasteurization, at high temperature in a short time ('fresh milk') or longer ('long-life', UHT), possibly after being microfiltered, so as to preserve the organoleptic properties of the fresh milk".

The product that reaches the consumer without having gone through these procedures is called raw milk. "Its sale has been allowed in Europe since 2004, but only under certain conditions. First of all, as has been said, that the consumer knows that it must be boiled: for this reason, since 2008, it has been mandatory in Italy that this recommendation be clearly written on labels and on vending machines that in some parts of Italy allow producers to reach consumers directly", inform the anti-hoax doctors. These machines must also guarantee adequate and constant refrigeration, and the milk contained in them must be replaced every day and, once purchased, must be consumed on the same day.

But the question many people ask is: is raw milk good for you? "According to its supporters - the experts analyze - this food is richer in vitamins, enzymes and micronutrients that can be altered by the pasteurization process. Furthermore, the live bacteria it contains increase the variety of species in the intestinal microbiota, strengthening the immune system and thus keeping eczema and allergies at bay. Some also claim that it can facilitate digestion and circumvent lactose intolerance. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta, however, there is no scientific evidence to support a nutritional advantage of raw milk over pasteurized milk, while its risks are well documented".

For example, "among the bacteria contained in raw milk, in addition to those beneficial to health, you can sometimes find very dangerous ones, such as Campylobacter, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes and particular subtypes of Escherichia coli capable of producing toxins. In many cases these germs can cause diarrhea, vomiting and abdominal cramps, or, as happens with brucellosis, headache, bone and muscle pain, but above all fever. If the disease caused by various species of brucella is not diagnosed and treated with antibiotics, the rise in temperature can last for weeks and months, with a typical undulating trend, characterized by periods of more marked malaise, alternating with phases of remission".

Even more serious conditions linked to the consumption of raw milk "are forms of transient paralysis (Guillain-Barré syndrome) and hemolytic-uremic syndrome, a serious generalized thrombosis that affects especially young children, causing kidney failure, sometimes stroke and damage to other organs, so much so that it puts life at risk. For this reason - conclude the doctors - raw milk should be avoided especially under 5 years of age, over 65, in immunosuppressed people and in pregnant women, all categories that may have insufficient defenses to repel the attack of the germs present in the 'natural' drink".