Popularised by US influencers, a section of the urban population in India is gulping down raw milk, oblivious to the consequences. Experts, however, are not impressed.
Published Dec 19, 2024 | 7:00 AM ⚊ Updated Dec 19, 2024 | 7:00 AM
Raw, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses. (Representative image/iStock)
The West need not be always right. Aping the West may have adverse effects on health, experts said as more Indians started embracing the social media-promoted trend of consuming raw, unpasteurised milk.
Popularised by US influencers, a section of the urban population in India, too, is gulping down raw milk, oblivious to the consequences.
Incidentally, the US has been at pains to explain the ill effects of consuming raw milk. “Raw, unpasteurized milk can carry dangerous bacteria such as Salmonella, E. coli, and Listeria, which are responsible for causing numerous foodborne illnesses,” the US Food and Drug Administration said.
Indian doctors subscribed to the FDA view. “It is foolish to drink raw milk because it may contain several bacteria, some of which can cause serious diseases,” warned Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, a gastroenterologist and convener of the Scientific Community in Kochi, Kerala.
Raw milk does not undergo pasteurisation—a process that involves heating milk to kill harmful bacteria such as E. coli, Salmonella, Listeria, and Campylobacter.
Proponents of raw milk consumption claim that pasteurisation destroys beneficial nutrients and enzymes, making raw milk a “healthier” option. Social media is rife with influencers showcasing raw milk and its supposed benefits, from aiding digestion to strengthening the immune system.
In India, this trend is gaining traction among urban health enthusiasts. “I saw a fitness influencer on Instagram talking about the benefits of raw milk, so I decided to give it a try,” 28-year-old Sarang Srinivas, a software engineer from Bengaluru, said.
“I have heard stories from my grandparents about how they would always drink milk immediately after milking the cows and hence never considered the risks,” he added.
Risks in drinking raw milk
Despite endorsements on social media, health experts advised against consuming raw milk, citing significant health risks. Unlike the controlled dairy environments in some Western countries, India’s milk supply chain is plagued by challenges like poor storage, transportation issues, and lack of regulation.
Dr Jayadevan said pasteurised milk eliminates the bacteria, making it safe to consume. He explains that the bacteria enter the milk from the cow’s skin, unwashed fingers of the handler, dirty water used to wash the under before milking, unclean utensils used to collect the milk, and also by flies that deposit bacteria found in feces.
“Some cows have infections that can contaminate their milk. Warm conditions in India are ideal for these bacteria to continue to multiply in unpasteurised milk. So, the bacterial load will be higher when raw milk reaches the consumer. In addition, pasteurisation kills bacteria, and the milk does not get spoiled faster. This reduces wasting milk and saves money,” Dr Jaydevan said.
Doctors warned that raw milk is a perfect breeding ground for bacteria like Listeria, which can be fatal, especially for vulnerable populations like children, pregnant women, and the elderly.
Speaking to South First, Sweta Adarsh, a Bengaluru-based nutritionist, said raw milk can also trigger allergic reactions in people who are sensitive to milk proteins. It can cause bloating, gas, diarrhoea, or stomach cramps. It can also irritate an empty stomach, leading to acid reflux and indigestions, she added.
Advocates of raw milk argued that it is more nutritious because it retains natural enzymes and nutrients lost during pasteurisation. However, studies showed that pasteurisation has minimal impact on milk’s nutritional value.
According to the Journal of Dairy Science, essential nutrients like calcium, protein, and vitamins remain intact after pasteurisation.
Doctors agreed that pasteurisation slightly reduces certain enzymes, which are not critical to human health. The benefits of pasteurisation far outweigh the negligible loss of these enzymes.
Adarsh explained that raw milk is not an immune system-building food and is particularly unsafe for children. It can be noted that public health agencies in the US have also warned against raw milk consumption.
“Decades ago, pasteurisation of milk was adopted as a basic public health measure to kill dangerous bacteria. This measure eliminates the risk of getting sick from one of the most important staples of the American diet,” they said.
Adarsh added that there are no immunoglobulins in raw milk that enhance the human immune system. She said raw milk is not nutritionally superior to pasteurised milk.
“Normal bovine milk contains about 3 to 3.5 percent of total protein. The two major groups of milk protein are casein (about 80 percent) and whey proteins (about 20 percent). The protein quality of pasteurised milk is not different from that of raw milk,” she said.
The nutritionist cited a study published in the Journal of Dairy Research, “Antibacterial Effects of the Lactoperoxidase System on Psychotropic Bacteria in Milk.” She said raw milk does not contain natural antimicrobial components that make it safe.
Adarsh also clarified that nisin is produced only during the exponential growth phase of Lactococcus organisms and they do not grow well at refrigerated temperatures.
“Any substantial nisin production in raw milk will only suggest poor hygiene and poor refrigeration. Therefore, even if raw milk contained nisin-producing Lactococcus, its amount would be negligible,” she explained.
Nisin is effective against gram-positive bacteria including strains of Lactococcus, streptococcus, staphylococcus, micrococcus, pediocroccus, lactobacillus, listeria, and mychobacterium.
Health influencers on social media promoting raw milk consumption underlined the fact that for centuries, raw milk—straight from the cow—was a staple in India’s agrarian households.
Our ancestors consumed it regularly, often as part of their daily lives. However, as the debate over raw milk resurfaced on social media platforms like Instagram and X, health experts cautioned against romanticising the practice in modern India, where the dynamics of milk production and consumption have drastically changed.
They argued that raw milk was consumed directly in rural India due to the absence of pasteurisation technology. However, the context was entirely different. Milk was sourced locally, often from a family’s cattle, and consumed almost immediately after milking, ensuring freshness and minimising contamination risks.
Villages were more self-sustaining, and the milk was not transported over long distances or stored for extended periods.
Doctors explained that raw milk consumed was a different product altogether. It came from well-cared-for cows in a controlled, hygienic environment. The milk wasn’t exposed to the same risks as today’s mass-produced and commercially distributed milk.
Unlike the village-based systems of yore, modern milk production involves large-scale operations, long supply chains, and inadequate refrigeration in many parts of the country. These factors increase the likelihood of bacterial contamination.
Also, a significant portion of milk in India is sourced from unorganised sectors, where quality control and hygiene practices are often lacking.
“Raw milk today is vastly different from what our ancestors drank. It’s transported over miles, stored for hours, and exposed to a variety of contaminants,” Adarsh said.
Many Indians have traditionally boiled milk as a safety precaution—a cultural practice akin to pasteurisation. “It’s baffling to see people skipping this step in the name of a trend,” nutritionist Remya from Bengaluru said. “Raw milk is being romanticised on social media without context, but the risks in India are far greater.”
Experts warned that blindly following trends originating in different contexts could lead to serious health consequences. They suggested sticking to pasteurised milk, which offers the same nutritional benefits without the risk of bacterial infections.
Additionally, consumers should ensure they buy milk from reputable sources and boil it before consumption if they have any doubts about its quality.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
