Drink Only Pasteurized Milk

Drink Only Pasteurized Milk: A sentence I thought I would never need to write.

One of the most important improvements in the health of Americans (and anyone else) is the pasteurization of milk. Before about 1900, milk was frequently contaminated with various pathogens, including Mycobacterium Bovis (a cause of tuberculosis), salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter. I don’t want any of them.

When I studied Infectious Disease, first in medical school and then in my fellowship, we discussed how heating milk above 190 degrees F was sufficient to kill nearly all contaminants in milk. There was no discussion about why anyone would want to drink raw milk. Now, there are websites devoted to drinking raw (unpasteurized milk). They claim health benefits. If there are any benefits to raw over pasteurized milk, they are negligible compared to the incredible benefits of pasteurization. You might as well claim that the Polio vaccine should not be given. Of course, some people are not giving their kids the measles vaccine, so we are starting to see outbreaks again.

When I was at UCSD Medical Center in San Diego, we saw several illnesses in people, often children, who had been sickened by unpasteurized milk, including salmonella and tuberculosis. They had acquired the milk in Mexico. One second of heating the milk would have prevented all of them.

Every year, there are about 750 illnesses caused by milk or cheese contamination in the United States. Unpasteurized dairy products are consumed by about 3% of the population. Still, unpasteurized milk or cheese was the cause of 96% of the illnesses. Unpasteurized dairy products caused 840 times more illnesses than pasteurized over a five-year period.

Some people like milk that is not homogenized, leaving the cream separated from the milk. Sometimes, the milk is unpasteurized, but not always. Pasteurized milk that is not homogenized but is safe to drink. But pay close attention. Drink only pasteurized milk. Eat only cheese from pasteurized milk.

I have asked people why they drink unpasteurized milk. They often say, “It’s natural,” as if that means it’s better. Sometimes, natural things are better. Sometimes not. Tobacco is natural. So is malaria. I am glad to have the pasteurization, vaccination, antibiotics, surgery for appendicitis, cancer treatments, and the Honeycrisp apple. Should I avoid these wonderful human inventions because they are not natural?

When I was in school, I would have bet I would never see unpasteurized milk sold in the United States. I would have bet I would never see a recurrence of measles outbreaks. Raw milk is contaminated by pathogens in 13% of samples. Is it really something you should consider consuming?

Don’t drink unpasteurized milk. If you insist on it, please don’t give it to your kids.