The Dangers Of Raw Milk, According To An Expert

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3 days ago

At this point, if you've ever wandered through a local farmer's market or fallen into a TikTok wellness rabbit hole filled with 'home on the range' tradwife energy, you've probably stumbled into the raw milk debate — which, FYI, is rife with hashtags like #primal, #healing, #therawtruth, and #divinemasculinity.
The central claim from the raw milk camp is that pasteurization — heating milk to kill harmful bacteria — also wipes out all the good stuff. Some even say this is why your lactose-intolerant stomach can't handle conventional dairy.
However, according to Dr. Supriya Rao, a board-certified gastroenterologist (read: an actual medical expert, not someone with a ring light and a soft filter), that claim doesn't totally hold up.
In fact, much of the raw milk argument neglects the fact that raw dairy can harbor harmful pathogens like E. coli or Listeria. And, while 'some individuals with lactose intolerance report better tolerance to raw dairy due to natural lactase enzymes, there is limited evidence to support this,' says Dr. Rao.
Another raw milk argument? That pasteurization only became necessary when people moved into cities and stopped milking cows in their backyards. The demand for milk skyrocketed, cows got packed into grimy urban dairies, and their diets devolved into "swill" — leftover distillery mash with zero nutrients.
Unsurprisingly, this became a bacterial disaster. Enter Louis Pasteur, who developed pasteurization in the 1860s. And while the French may now be the poster children for raw cheese, they also figured out early on that maybe we shouldn't risk death-by-dairy.
So, where are we now? The dust has settled, and raw milk seems to be enjoying a second life as a #healthygirl accessory. For the rest of us plebeians, it still feels like a shortcut to a week-long, salmonella-fueled diarrhea spiral.
Even doctors on TikTok have stepped in now, begging people to chill the hell out. One creator (@rubin_allergy) — again, actual MD and board-certified allergist, not just someone who has #healedtheirgut — warns that the issue isn't just adults making risky gut choices. It's the kids. 'There are many members of society who are vulnerable to misinformation and don't have much control over their decisions,' Dr. Rubin says. Translation: your toddler didn't exactly opt into the crunchy granola, raw-milk-loving life.
Okay, sure. We can admit that pasteurization insignificantly removes a few enzymes and vitamins. But let's not lose the plot. As Dr. Rao puts it plainly: 'The benefits do not outweigh the risks.' Unless you're personally milking Bessie in your backyard — and also scrubbing down your equipment like you're prepping for surgery — raw milk is a gamble.
A cute glass bottle and a rustic label don't cancel out the very real possibility of pathogens like E. coli, Listeria, and even tuberculosis. And no, 'small-batch' doesn't mean 'sterile.' 'Even with strict sanitation, contamination can occur during milking, storage, or transport,' says Rao. Yum-my.
If you truly love raw milk, churn butter on your own time and live your Laura Ingalls Wilder reboot. But if you're promoting it online like it's the dairy version of the Ten Commandments, include a disclaimer: this isn't for everyone.
Most people don't have the time, space, or money to keep their own cow, and once you're relying on external producers, you're right back where we started — trusting industrial systems to handle something inherently risky. Sure, maybe our ancestors drank raw milk. But they also lived through polio, lacked indoor plumbing, and thought bloodletting was peak healthcare. Not every historical habit needs a comeback.
Now let's talk about the French because, of course. They adore raw dairy, and yes, the cheese counters of France are basically temples to mold and milk. But there's a major difference: they don't take chances with the milk itself.
Raw cheese is aged. 'FDA regulations require raw cheese to be aged at least 60 days,' says Rao. 'During this time, harmful bacteria are often neutralized by natural cultures and lactic acid, making the cheese safer.'
Let's not forget that the entire process of pasteurization exists because of France. Remember, Mr. Pasteur, the man himself, developed the method to prevent microbial contamination in food and wine and later, milk. It was a life-saving breakthrough, not a government overreach. Abandoning it in the name of 'natural health' is like rejecting penicillin because it came from a lab and wasn't grown on organic sourdough.
So, when is raw dairy okay? In regulated, controlled environments, like aging rooms with microbial testing with products that are monitored and time-buffered to reduce risk. But raw dairy as a lifestyle brand? As a wellness shortcut or a sign of anti-establishment enlightenment? That's where things get dicey.
Unless you live on a fully sanitized, self-sustaining farm with a cow and a microbiology lab in your barn, you're probably better off sticking to the pasteurized stuff.
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