Raw milk movement

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== External links ==
 
== External links ==
 
*[http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/97196864.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUHK:uUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU Recklessly ignoring raw milk's dangers - An editorial from the Minneapolis StarTribune]
 
*[http://www.startribune.com/opinion/editorials/97196864.html?elr=KArksi8cyaiUHK:uUiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU Recklessly ignoring raw milk's dangers - An editorial from the Minneapolis StarTribune]
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*[http://scienceblogs.com/whitecoatunderground/2009/12/ive_never_understood_food_fads.php Raw milk - another specacularly bad idea], a Scienceblogs article by RationalWiki's own [[UserPalMD|PalMD]]
  
 
== Footnotes ==
 
== Footnotes ==

Revision as of 06:21, 4 July 2010

The raw milk movement is a crank movement linked to the raw food movement. Its adherents, drawing on New age medicine, argue that pasteurization and homogenization damage the nutritional value of milk, and believe that milk which is unpasteurized and unhomogenized is healthier than the milk which is typically sold in grocery stores.[1]

Due to the possibility of unprocessed raw milk containing pathogens such as bovine tuberculosis, brucellosis, or salmonella, most medical authorities consider raw milk to be rather dangerous, much like eating raw chicken; as it happens, many raw milk enthusiasts are germ theory deniers and often invoke conspiratorial thinking in their defense of raw milk consumption.[2]

The movement has grown in popularity in recent years, especially in the American Midwest. This growth appears directly linked to the advent of the internet.

Contents

Crank ideas about raw milk

On top of the fact that people involved in the raw milk movement misleadingly call raw milk "real milk,"[3] there are numerous false ideas about the benefits of raw milk. These ideas include the promotion of the ridiculous idea that pasteurized milk causes lactose intolerance, that raw milk contains helpful bacteria and enzymes, and so on. Most of these assertions, such as processed milk causing lactose intolerance, are flat out unproven. Others, such as the assertion that raw milk contains helpful bacteria, are true, but the benefits are mitigated in practice by the non-negligible probability of the raw milk being contaminated with other, much more harmful bacteria.

Recklessly ignoring raw milk's dangers

The people who promote the sale and consumption of raw milk often ignore the reasons for the pasteurization process: namely, that it removes harmful pathogens, such as E. coli bacteria, picked up from the cows' environment.[4] Listeria, especially, is a common bacterium found in raw milk which is killed during the pasteurization process.[5]

Homogenization

The process of homogenizing milk is, of course, not a health issue in any way, it is merely a convenience for consumers, in that it prevents the milk from "separating" - the cream coming out of the emulsion and rising to the top. This is an inconvenience for those of us who enjoyed carefully using just the cream on our breakfast cereal before anyone had a chance to shake the bottle.[6]

See also

External links

Footnotes

  1. A webshite promoting raw milk
  2. [1]
  3. Such as at this webshite
  4. The Dangers of Raw Milk: a report released by the American FDA
  5. A medical article on Listeria
  6. FoodScience online explains the process
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