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Right off the bat, I love raw dairy. I give it to my kids every day and consume it myself almost every day. But I rarely see explicit discussion of the actual benefits.
Why is it different?
This will be a long one.
Why is it different?
This will be a long one.
First, glutathione. Glutathione is the body’s master antioxidant:
Protects the liver
Detoxes ethanol and pollutants
Improves our immune response (low levels are implicated in most allergies)
Compared to pasteurized, raw milk whey proteins double glutathione.
Is it relevant?
Protects the liver
Detoxes ethanol and pollutants
Improves our immune response (low levels are implicated in most allergies)
Compared to pasteurized, raw milk whey proteins double glutathione.
Is it relevant?
Kids who grow up drinking raw milk have lower rates of allergic diseases like asthma, hay fever. It's not the “farm package”—raw milk, exposure to animals, dirt; studies have found the protection persists even in non-farming and urban populations who drink raw milk.
Not just kids. "Ever drinking" raw milk was linked to fewer allergies. Those who drank the raw milk had protection; those who drank the same milk boiled did not. The bacteria in raw milk were not relevant, just the proteins. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21875744
This protective effect could even work against food allergies. Glutathione plays a role in those, too, and a study from this year found that raw milk protected genetically-susceptible mice against food allergies. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/31349704
Someone will say "But those are just observational studies, not controlled trials." Sure. That's fair.
Let's try this:
Are there differences between babies fed raw and pasteurized breast milk?
Oh yes.
Let's try this:
Are there differences between babies fed raw and pasteurized breast milk?
Oh yes.
Babies who drink raw breast milk compared to pasteurized:
More protective maternal antibodies
Better weight gain
Improved nutrient absorption
Protective breastmilk cytokines
Higher immunoprotective compounds
Similar to effects observed in raw cow milk drinkers.
More protective maternal antibodies
Better weight gain
Improved nutrient absorption
Protective breastmilk cytokines
Higher immunoprotective compounds
Similar to effects observed in raw cow milk drinkers.
This isn't perfectly analogous, of course. Babies are "designed" to rely entirely on raw breast milk. But there are clearly differences between raw and pasteurized—differences that magnify in importance the more dairy you consume and the younger you are.
There are tradeoffs. Raw milk can harbor more bacteria, not all of it good.
However, raw milk is naturally resistant—not immune—to pathogenic infiltration. The absolute risk of getting sick is quite low, although it exists. You just have to figure out your risk tolerance.
However, raw milk is naturally resistant—not immune—to pathogenic infiltration. The absolute risk of getting sick is quite low, although it exists. You just have to figure out your risk tolerance.
