Recently, more than 20 people fell ill after consuming raw milk produced on a farm in Florida, USA. Among them were children. Some were admitted to the hospital in serious condition. Two bacteria named E. coli and Campylobacter have taken up residence in their bodies.
Social media can be partly blamed for this incident. Nowadays, many people on social media, especially on TikTok, are saying that raw milk is much healthier than pasteurized milk.
Even the US Secretary of Health, Robert F. Kennedy Jr., has said that he drinks raw milk. He claims, ‘Raw milk is beneficial for human health.’
But health experts say otherwise. According to them, raw milk is seriously risky for health.
Making such decisions under the influence of social media can become very dangerous. There is no evidence behind this that raw milk is better than pasteurized milk. Those who are consuming raw milk are actually putting their lives at risk.
Dr. Anthony Aganjan, Infectious Disease Specialist, USA
Difference between raw milk and pasteurized milk
Raw milk means that the milk has not been pasteurized. It means that it has been directly marketed from the farm to the cow. But if the milk is heated to a high temperature for a short time and then cooled, it is pasteurized.
When milk is pasteurized, the heat kills the pathogens. This pasteurization method was invented in the early 1900s. The milk that is available for purchase in stores is usually pasteurized. Although it is not illegal to sell raw milk in Bangladesh. But that does not mean that raw milk is safe.
Even if the rules and regulations for storing milk on the farm are good, harmful bacteria can remain in the milk. In this case, it does not matter how healthy the cow is or how clean the farm is. All raw milk can contain harmful bacteria. Therefore, it is best to consume pasteurized milk.
What are the harms of consuming raw milk
Since raw milk does not go through pasteurization, it may contain various types of bacteria. Such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, Brucella, Campylobacter. In addition to these, raw milk may also contain tuberculosis germs.
And these germs can cause diarrhea, stomach pain, vomiting, headache, fever and body aches. Although most healthy people recover from these illnesses, children under five years of age, the elderly and those with weakened immune systems are at risk of serious illness if they drink raw milk. Statistics say that between 1998 and 2018, there were 202 outbreaks of diseases caused by raw milk in the United States alone. More than 2,600 people fell ill and 228 had to be hospitalized.
According to the American Food and Drug Administration, raw milk does not only make the person who drinks it sick, but germs like E. coli can spread from one person to another and make more people sick.
Is raw milk high in nutrients
After pasteurization, there is no change in the quality or nutritional value of food. So there is no reason to think that raw milk has more nutrients.
It has not yet been possible to prove any special health benefits of raw milk. The nutrients found in raw milk are also found in pasteurized milk. On the contrary, there is no risk of getting sick with pasteurized milk.
An interesting fact is that not only milk, but many other foods are pasteurized. For example, soft drinks, cheese, juice, yogurt, eggs, canned foods, and even tomato sauce and spices are pasteurized.
Last word
So don’t follow something popular on social media just because it is popular. Many people can say bad things are good to be popular. So you should not just chase trends but also think about your own health.
Source: Everyday Health
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