“The Advantages and Disadvantages of Drinking Raw Milk for Strengthening the Immune System: Expert Opinion”

Hoenderdos: ,,Raw milk comes directly from the cow. It has not been heated or processed in any way. The milk contains more proteins, fats, antibodies and bacteria than chilled milk that you buy in the supermarket. According to enthusiasts, it has a richer taste.

The milk from the supermarket is pasteurized in the factory, heated to just above 70 degrees. As a result, many of killed the bacteria and the milk has a longer shelf life. The fat content is also standardized in the factory to skimmed (0 percent fat), semi-skimmed (1.5 percent fat) or whole milk (3 percent fat). Raw milk is often fattier than full-fat milk from the store.

Some people drink the raw milk precisely because of the bacteria, to strengthen the immune system and reduce allergic complaints. Unfortunately, no conclusive scientific evidence has yet been provided for this. So claiming that it is healthy is not possible in this case.

Raw milk also has risks: in addition to ‘good’ bacteria, it can also contain pathogens, such as campylobacter, listeria, salmonella and E. coli. That can be quite dangerous, especially for babies, the elderly and pregnant women. It is therefore really inadvisable for these vulnerable groups to drink raw milk.

The Dutch Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority (NVWA) therefore advises to first boil raw milk before drinking it or using it in a dish. This way you can prevent a food infection. But yes… then that taste will change, of course.”