By Matthew Walker
Experts worry that a bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle could lead to a pandemic in the human population. Now, there's some research behind that. A study finds that the flu can remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days.
As the debate continues over the benefits and safety of consuming raw milk, a recent study reveals a strike against drinking milk that has not been pasteurized.
Researchers at Stanford University discovered that influenza, or the flu virus, can survive and remain infectious in refrigerated raw milk for up to five days. This includes bird flu.
Experts have noted that an outbreak among dairy cattle could lead to a pandemic in the human population.
Raw milk advocates argue that drinking untreated milk maximizes its nutritional benefits. This goes against the accepted science that emphasizes the importance of the pasteurization process, where raw milk is heated to kill potentially harmful pathogens.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention states that pasteurizing milk does not alter its nutritional profile.
For this study, researchers observed the human flu virus in raw, refrigerated milk and found that in addition to the virus remaining infectious for up to five days, the flu virus RNA was detectable in the milk for at least 57 days.
However, the pasteurization process eliminated the infectious flu virus plus about 90% of the remaining viral RNA.
The FDA has tied raw milk to more than 200 outbreaks of illnesses, including E. coli and salmonella, but over 14 million people in the U.S. consume raw milk each year.
Researchers say this study presents more strong evidence that the benefits of drinking raw milk do not outweigh the risks.
Food safety has made incredible strides in the past two centuries but it's important to remember why these processes were put in place to begin with: the safety of ourselves, our family, and our friends.
Source : usf.edu