1 00:00:01,920 --> 00:00:07,200 Speaker 1: Welcome to brain Stuff, production of iHeartRadio, Hey brain Stuff, 2 00:00:07,200 --> 00:00:10,920 Speaker 1: loring voc obam here. Interest in raw milk by US 3 00:00:11,000 --> 00:00:14,720 Speaker 1: consumers is steadily growing as more people demand less processed 4 00:00:14,720 --> 00:00:17,840 Speaker 1: food and seek diet based ways to treat and prevent 5 00:00:17,920 --> 00:00:21,760 Speaker 1: health problems. More farmers are offering raw milk, and states 6 00:00:21,800 --> 00:00:24,239 Speaker 1: are creating policies that allow sales of raw milk and 7 00:00:24,400 --> 00:00:28,520 Speaker 1: raw milk products. Yet, raw milk, which is milk that 8 00:00:28,560 --> 00:00:31,840 Speaker 1: has not been pasteurized or homogenized, but rather reaches the 9 00:00:31,880 --> 00:00:35,240 Speaker 1: consumer with little processing, is one of the most controversial 10 00:00:35,360 --> 00:00:39,280 Speaker 1: farm products. Fans and advocates say it's better for you, 11 00:00:39,400 --> 00:00:43,120 Speaker 1: tastes better and safer now than ever before, But in 12 00:00:43,159 --> 00:00:47,240 Speaker 1: the US government, health disease and nutrition experts repeat strong 13 00:00:47,280 --> 00:00:51,159 Speaker 1: warnings about drinking raw milk. So is raw milk good 14 00:00:51,280 --> 00:00:55,120 Speaker 1: or bad for you? Most of the milk and milk 15 00:00:55,120 --> 00:00:57,760 Speaker 1: products like ice cream, yogurt, and cheese that's sold in 16 00:00:57,800 --> 00:01:02,400 Speaker 1: the United States is pasteurized. Pasteurization kills bacteria present in 17 00:01:02,480 --> 00:01:04,920 Speaker 1: raw milk by heating it to a specific temperature for 18 00:01:05,040 --> 00:01:09,680 Speaker 1: a prescribed period. This process developed in eighteen sixty four 19 00:01:09,680 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 1: by Louis Pasteur to help with the shelf life of 20 00:01:11,840 --> 00:01:15,080 Speaker 1: wine helps reduce the threat of many food born illnesses, 21 00:01:15,280 --> 00:01:20,319 Speaker 1: such as suberculosis, diphtheria, and typhoid fever. Some of the 22 00:01:20,319 --> 00:01:24,160 Speaker 1: harmful bacteria that can be present in milk include equali, listeria, 23 00:01:24,240 --> 00:01:27,640 Speaker 1: and salmonella, all of which can lead to illness, hospitalization, 24 00:01:27,680 --> 00:01:31,480 Speaker 1: and even death. Public health officials consider pasteurization one of 25 00:01:31,520 --> 00:01:34,000 Speaker 1: the most significant developments when it comes to preventing these 26 00:01:34,040 --> 00:01:38,959 Speaker 1: types of diseases and deaths. Pasteurization isn't selective, though, it 27 00:01:39,080 --> 00:01:42,520 Speaker 1: kills good bacteria along with the bad. That's one of 28 00:01:42,520 --> 00:01:45,920 Speaker 1: the main arguments in support of raw milk. The US 29 00:01:45,959 --> 00:01:48,960 Speaker 1: Food and Drug Administration, the US Centers for Disease Control 30 00:01:49,000 --> 00:01:52,560 Speaker 1: and Prevention, and public health officials maintain that most of 31 00:01:52,560 --> 00:01:56,360 Speaker 1: the nutrition in milk remains intact after pasteurization, and that 32 00:01:56,400 --> 00:02:00,200 Speaker 1: the benefits of pasteurizing milk outweigh any losses. Are Raw 33 00:02:00,240 --> 00:02:04,720 Speaker 1: milk advocates, however, disagree and say that modern pasteurization destroys 34 00:02:04,880 --> 00:02:07,880 Speaker 1: valuable health benefits and alters the texture and flavor of 35 00:02:07,920 --> 00:02:11,880 Speaker 1: milk for the worse. We spoke of Sally Fallon, the 36 00:02:11,919 --> 00:02:15,320 Speaker 1: founding president of the Weston A. Price Foundation, the largest 37 00:02:15,400 --> 00:02:18,960 Speaker 1: US organization in support of raw milk. She notes that 38 00:02:19,000 --> 00:02:21,600 Speaker 1: pasteurization was introduced to make milk safe in the late 39 00:02:21,680 --> 00:02:25,960 Speaker 1: nineteenth century, when dairy production became more urban, safe practices 40 00:02:26,000 --> 00:02:31,480 Speaker 1: were inconsistent and most people didn't have refrigerators. Today's sanitation practices, 41 00:02:31,520 --> 00:02:34,640 Speaker 1: such as refrigerated tanks and trucks, make milk safer than 42 00:02:34,680 --> 00:02:38,040 Speaker 1: it was then. Fallon said that raw milk contains factors 43 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,440 Speaker 1: that help our immune systems, and that the calcium in 44 00:02:40,520 --> 00:02:42,720 Speaker 1: raw milk is more easily absorbed by our bodies than 45 00:02:42,720 --> 00:02:46,000 Speaker 1: the calcium in pasteurized milk, making it better for children 46 00:02:46,000 --> 00:02:50,079 Speaker 1: and older adults. Some research does seem to back her up, 47 00:02:50,440 --> 00:02:54,080 Speaker 1: showing that pasteurization alters proteins so that human bodies can't 48 00:02:54,080 --> 00:02:57,520 Speaker 1: digest them as easily, and a twenty sixteen study published 49 00:02:57,560 --> 00:03:00,480 Speaker 1: in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology showed that 50 00:03:00,560 --> 00:03:03,760 Speaker 1: of the one thousand, one thirty four children who participated, 51 00:03:04,040 --> 00:03:07,000 Speaker 1: those who drank raw milk were less likely to develop asthma, 52 00:03:07,240 --> 00:03:10,000 Speaker 1: with the benefits due to greater concentrations of Omega three 53 00:03:10,000 --> 00:03:13,560 Speaker 1: fatty acids in raw milk. The same study determined that 54 00:03:13,600 --> 00:03:16,120 Speaker 1: the children who had raw house milk early in life 55 00:03:16,320 --> 00:03:21,600 Speaker 1: also experienced fewer respiratory infections and fevers. Many proponents of 56 00:03:21,680 --> 00:03:25,160 Speaker 1: raw milk also say that homogenization ruins the texture of milk, 57 00:03:25,560 --> 00:03:29,640 Speaker 1: homogenization being a process that's separate from pasteurization, which makes 58 00:03:29,680 --> 00:03:32,760 Speaker 1: milk fat molecules smaller in order to emulsify the milk 59 00:03:33,040 --> 00:03:35,160 Speaker 1: so that the cream no longer rises to the top. 60 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:38,920 Speaker 1: This allows for a more stable regular product and for 61 00:03:39,040 --> 00:03:43,240 Speaker 1: easier production of milk products with different fat contents. In 62 00:03:43,240 --> 00:03:47,840 Speaker 1: the United States, each individual state regulates raw milk policies. However, 63 00:03:47,920 --> 00:03:50,440 Speaker 1: on a federal level, the FTA bans the sale of 64 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:55,160 Speaker 1: raw milk across state lines. As of April, selling raw 65 00:03:55,200 --> 00:03:58,920 Speaker 1: milk in stores was legal in thirteen states, seventeen states 66 00:03:58,960 --> 00:04:02,040 Speaker 1: permitted raw milk sale only on farms, and in twenty 67 00:04:02,080 --> 00:04:06,520 Speaker 1: states all sales of raw milk were illegal. Raw milk 68 00:04:06,520 --> 00:04:10,360 Speaker 1: advocates like Fallon say that selling unpasteurized milk products is 69 00:04:10,400 --> 00:04:13,200 Speaker 1: a great way for small, independent farmers to thrive in 70 00:04:13,200 --> 00:04:16,600 Speaker 1: a time when dairy farms go out of business daily. Fallon, 71 00:04:16,720 --> 00:04:19,719 Speaker 1: a dairy farmer herself, says it's the dairy industry that 72 00:04:19,839 --> 00:04:23,679 Speaker 1: is lobbied to maintain policies restricting interstate raw milk sales. 73 00:04:24,560 --> 00:04:27,520 Speaker 1: Fallon said, if the farmers have a choice, they don't 74 00:04:27,560 --> 00:04:30,120 Speaker 1: have to sell to dairy processing companies for a dollar 75 00:04:30,200 --> 00:04:32,960 Speaker 1: thirty a gallon. If the price of milk reflected pay 76 00:04:33,040 --> 00:04:35,839 Speaker 1: raises since the nineteen hundreds, it would cost twenty dollars 77 00:04:35,839 --> 00:04:40,080 Speaker 1: a gallon. Allowing dairy farms to sell raw milk anywhere 78 00:04:40,120 --> 00:04:43,279 Speaker 1: from five to twenty dollars a gallon helps offset their costs, 79 00:04:43,560 --> 00:04:46,520 Speaker 1: and even at those high prices, Fallon says demand would 80 00:04:46,560 --> 00:04:49,000 Speaker 1: still be so great that raw milk and raw milk 81 00:04:49,040 --> 00:04:52,320 Speaker 1: products would remain among the fastest growing agricultural products in 82 00:04:52,360 --> 00:04:56,200 Speaker 1: the United States. But back to the risks of consuming 83 00:04:56,279 --> 00:04:59,080 Speaker 1: raw milk of food safety laws in the United States 84 00:04:59,080 --> 00:05:02,280 Speaker 1: exist for a reason. Food poisoning is serious and could 85 00:05:02,360 --> 00:05:06,520 Speaker 1: lead to hospitalization, disability, and even death. A children, people 86 00:05:06,520 --> 00:05:09,400 Speaker 1: with weakened immune systems, the elderly, and pregnant women are 87 00:05:09,440 --> 00:05:12,960 Speaker 1: at increased risk from ingesting unpasteurized milk or milk products. 88 00:05:14,360 --> 00:05:17,160 Speaker 1: The CDC declared in twenty fifteen that no raw milk 89 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,840 Speaker 1: was safe to drink after finding a relatively small number 90 00:05:19,839 --> 00:05:22,800 Speaker 1: of outbreaks. A total of eighty one outbreaks reported in 91 00:05:22,800 --> 00:05:27,320 Speaker 1: twenty six states between two thousand seven and twelve. These 92 00:05:27,320 --> 00:05:31,760 Speaker 1: outbreaks resulted in nine seventy nine illnesses and seventy three hospitalizations, 93 00:05:31,760 --> 00:05:35,479 Speaker 1: but no deaths. The cdc S report also stated that 94 00:05:35,520 --> 00:05:38,720 Speaker 1: outbreaks increased as more states allowed sales of raw milk, 95 00:05:39,960 --> 00:05:44,000 Speaker 1: but advocates disagree, pointing to a newer eighteen study published 96 00:05:44,040 --> 00:05:47,640 Speaker 1: in the journal plos. It analyzed food born outbreaks from 97 00:05:47,680 --> 00:05:51,480 Speaker 1: unpasteurized milk from two thousand five to six and determined 98 00:05:51,520 --> 00:05:54,400 Speaker 1: outbreaks caused by raw milk had decreased during that time 99 00:05:54,440 --> 00:05:59,240 Speaker 1: by sevent If raw dairy products concern you, or if 100 00:05:59,240 --> 00:06:01,760 Speaker 1: you have a compromise commune system, check for the word 101 00:06:01,920 --> 00:06:05,880 Speaker 1: pasteurized on packages and containers before you buy, read product 102 00:06:05,920 --> 00:06:08,719 Speaker 1: information and used by or sell by dates carefully, and 103 00:06:08,760 --> 00:06:10,880 Speaker 1: consult your retailer. If you have any doubts about an 104 00:06:10,880 --> 00:06:14,440 Speaker 1: item that isn't clearly labeled, ask questions. If you're buying 105 00:06:14,480 --> 00:06:16,840 Speaker 1: milk or dairy from a farmer's market or co op. 106 00:06:17,360 --> 00:06:19,800 Speaker 1: Felon recommends visiting a dairy yourself to get to know 107 00:06:19,880 --> 00:06:22,919 Speaker 1: the producers and check out the cleanliness and the animal health. 108 00:06:23,360 --> 00:06:26,240 Speaker 1: Though usually the cow itself isn't the problem, it's the 109 00:06:26,279 --> 00:06:29,840 Speaker 1: contaminants around the cow that make raw milk dangerous. Harmful 110 00:06:29,880 --> 00:06:32,880 Speaker 1: bacteria from a cow's betting, soil, manure, feed, or the 111 00:06:32,960 --> 00:06:36,320 Speaker 1: milking equipment the cow teats and utters can become infected 112 00:06:36,320 --> 00:06:40,280 Speaker 1: with bacteria from these other items, so attention to sanitation practices, 113 00:06:40,360 --> 00:06:43,560 Speaker 1: temperature control, and animal health are key to a good product. 114 00:06:44,560 --> 00:06:46,760 Speaker 1: By the way, the used by and sell by dates 115 00:06:46,800 --> 00:06:49,039 Speaker 1: on milk and on products in the United States in 116 00:06:49,080 --> 00:06:52,200 Speaker 1: general were lobbied for it by al Capone after the 117 00:06:52,240 --> 00:07:00,960 Speaker 1: toppling of his prohibition Booze Empire. Day's episode was written 118 00:07:00,960 --> 00:07:03,800 Speaker 1: by Sean Chavis and produced by Tyler clang. A Brainstuff 119 00:07:03,839 --> 00:07:05,760 Speaker 1: is a production of I Heart Radio's How Stuff Works. 120 00:07:06,080 --> 00:07:08,000 Speaker 1: For more on this and lots of other health topics, 121 00:07:08,080 --> 00:07:10,680 Speaker 1: visit our home planet, how stuff Works dot com. And 122 00:07:10,800 --> 00:07:13,080 Speaker 1: for more podcasts from my heart Radio, visit th heart 123 00:07:13,160 --> 00:07:15,680 Speaker 1: Radio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you listen to your 124 00:07:15,680 --> 00:07:16,360 Speaker 1: favorite shows.