Learn about the 5 dangerous side effects of drinking raw milk and why it may pose health risks to your body. Consuming raw milk may be putting yourself in jeopardy and affecting your health. Such milk, usually called unpasteurized because it is untreated, leaves the consumer at risk of being infected with various pathogens that may be injurious to their health. While some do say that raw milk is healthier, the risks it comes with are not worth taking. In this article, we will take a closer look at the negative side effects of drinking raw milk and offer arguments as to why experts state that milk should be pasteurized.
1. Bacterial Infections That May Cause Food Poisoning
Drinking raw milk exposes one to the risk of ingesting bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Campylobacter. These bacteria can cause food poisoning, which can be quite severe and present with fever, nausea, diarrhea, and abdominal cramps. Such types of bacterial infections are not only painful but. life endangered as well to people such as children or the elderly. Numerous studies done by the CDC point to raw milk being associated with many cases of foodborne diseases, indicating that such consumption is completely unwarranted.
2. Greater Threats of Getting Listeriosis in Pregnant Women
The health of pregnant women can also be gravely affected as they are more susceptible to listeriosis caused by Listeria bacteria found in raw milk. The risks include, but are not limited to, complications like miscarriage, preterm delivery, or fetal death within the mother’s uterus. It is an infection that can play havoc for the mother as well as the infant. Health specialists and doctors almost universally recommend pregnant women to refrain from consuming raw milk so as to prevent the chances of getting this infection that can prove to be life threatening.
3. Life-Threatening Infections for Such Individuals who have a Compromised Immune System
We must remind ourselves however that people with some degree of immune suppression like HIV/AIDS patients, those suffering from cancer, patients that have had a transplant, elderly, etc are at great risk of infection from raw milk. Immune responses of these people might not be healthy enough to neutralize the pathogenic organisms that are often present in unpasteurized milk. Hence with such people, consumption of raw milk would definitely invite grave health situations leading even to death in extreme situations. In the case of these people, circumstances are such that even low number of pathogenic organisms can be fatal.
4. Possible Chronic Health Risks
Besides acute illness, pathogens in raw milk can cause chronic health issues as well. For example, Campylobacter infection can result to Guillain-Barr syndrome which is a rare disease targeting the nervous system and often results in paralysis of the body. Management of such condition can be intensive in care and has long term health consequences. The negative health impact of consuming raw milk is therefore severe making it a hazardous decision for one’s health.
5. Greater Vulnerability in Younger Children
Young children bear the brunt of the drawbacks that raw milk predisposes to them. Their immune development is still at infancy making them easy victims of infection. A Foodborne disease as a result of consumption of raw milk is considerably high in children and young people, according to the CDC. Diagnosis of bacterial infection of children can be quite alarming with most of them needing hospitalization. It is important for parents to steer away from raw milk products for their children as it poses great health hazards incorporating life threatening risks.
The Importance of Pasteurization of Milk
Pasteurization is essential especially in milk processing as it kills the pathogenic bacteria present in it through heating and thus making the product safe for consumption. This process prolongs the shelf life of the milk , however there has always been a debate whether pasteurization can have an adverse effect on milk as a whole due to certain elements being cooked out. One of the most outstanding successes of pasteurization has been the assurance and safety of milk over years even in the most difficult of circumstances. In the absence of pasteurization, those who survived brutal starvation would not have been able to consume milk without the threat of life threatening bacteria.
In summary, while unpasteurized milk appears to some as being wholesome and healthy, the fact of the matter is that it is not as safe as it seems and there are other alternatives that can provide such health benefits without such risks. As a result, everyone is encouraged to consume pasteurized milk because it does not have any negative side effects or risks for consumers.
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