The Truth About Milk By: Dr. Greg Orcutt
This bit of truth is often a hard one to digest. Pasteurized milk despite what the Dairy Industry leads us to believe is not good for you, and in fact is actually quite harmful.
Thank god you can’t fool all of the people all of the time. Although this hasn’t stopped the American Dairy Industry from trying. Some may remember the school dietary education programs paid for by the ADI in the 1950s that claimed milk was good for you. We were told it was good source of calcium for our bones, teeth and prevention of osteoporosis. We were lied to. What we were not told is the following facts about milk.
Fact #1 Calcium deficiency due to lack of calcium in the diet is not known to occur in people.
It does occur when there is malabsorbtion due to high concentrations of phosphorous and denatured protein.
Fact #2 When milk is pasteurized the heat kills all of the good enzymes that help to digest it, including Phosphatase which is essential for calcium absorption. Phosphatase when present breaks down phosphorous compounds. Without Phosphatase the abundance of phosphorous binds with the calcium limiting the amount of absorbable calcium.
Fact #3 The pasteurization process also denatures the milk protein casein which will bind with calcium making it unabsorbable. The denatured casein is very difficult for our body’s to digest as it requires excessive amounts of energy to expel it from our system. The coagulation of denatured casein adds to mucoloid plaque that will block absorption of nutrients.
Fact#4 Milk does not prevent osteoporosis. In fact pasteurized milk contributes to osteoporosis by forcing the body to demineralize/steal calcium from the bones and teeth. The highest incidence of osteoporosis have been reported in Scandinavia, Germany, and the U.S., especially states like Wisconsin where dairy consumption is the highest. (Appleton, Howell, McDougall. Douglas). In Asia and Africa where there is no dairy products there are very few cases of osteoporosis.
Fact #5 Milk is not necessary for Vitamin D. Our bodies are minimally affected by dietary sources of Vitamin D. Most Vitamin D is stored in fat after synthesis from exposure to sunlight.
Fact #6 None of this applies to Raw Milk as it is not pasteurized. Raw Milk is safe and has all it’s enzymes in tact providing a real source of protein and calcium. My family and I have enjoyed the benefits of raw milk for years.
In fact many people who were thought to be labeled “Lactose intolerant” have discovered that they can ingest raw milk just fine.
Regarding “Lactose intolerance” Dr. Oshea states, “There's no such thing. They want to pretend some people have a genetic defect whereby they can't digest milk sugar. Lactose is milk sugar. But it's not the milk sugar we're allergic to - it's the milk. We all have milk intolerance. No one can digest pasteurized milk!”
Valid sources of calcium are important for the overall health of the human body. However, calcium from pasteurized milk is largely unusable and unnecessary. Raw milk is another story. From my experience and research, I have found raw milk to be safer than the side effects of dead pasteurized milk.
In fact, during the height of the 2006 CA Ecoli 0157H7 spinach outbreak that sickened 197 and killed 3, CDFA mandated a recall of organic raw milk in California. After seven days of press drama, raw milk famine, fanfare, thousands of tests (including fresh manure from all cows and all milk products) and extensive research, neither the FDA, CDFA or DHS could link any illness to raw milk. The two kids supposedly sickened did not even have matching pathogen tests linking them as a group. Suffice it to say there was great government embarrassment and liability after the true facts were collected and exposed. In the end, the government official statement said that "there was no connection between raw milk and any illnesses"(Fresno Bee front page CDFA statement reference).CDFA then settled with OPDC for a large cash settlement payment and a mutual release of liability in exchange for not being sued for the "false recall".
Raw Milk Outlawed
October 26, 2007
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Mark McAfee, mark@organicpastures.com
New Law Will End Raw Milk Sales in California
On January 1, 2008, California raw milk producers will face new requirements for bacteria counts in the milk they sell to consumers. All raw milk must have 10 coliform bacteria or fewer per milliliter under the new law signed October 8th by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“This new law limits the sale of perfectly healthy, pathogen-free milk,” says Mark McAfee, owner of Organic Pastures Dairy, the largest raw milk dairy in the United States. “Most batches of our milk will not comply with the new legislation. By about January 20th under the new law, our milk will be available to consumers intermittently at best. Thousands of our customers who visit 300 stores in California each week will be without a source of raw milk.”
Coliform bacteria are a diverse family of bacteria, the vast majority of which are non-pathogenic and do not cause illness. They are killed by pasteurization.
The pathogenic forms of coliform bacteria can be tested for independently. The new law requires no tests for pathogens.
“My customers’ choices are now being limited by a law that makes no sense. Why test for coliform bacteria when you can test for pathogenic bacteria directly?” McAfee asks. McAfee’s dairy already tests for E. coli 0157:H7 and Listeria monocytogenes, the primary human pathogens in the food supply.
According to raw milk activist Sally Fallon, “Officials cite health risks to raw milk but once milk has been pasteurized, all the anti-microbial and immune-supporting components are reduced or destroyed.” Fallon is the founder of A Campaign for Real Milk, which promotes raw milk on its website http://www.realmilk.com .
Fallon adds that until the recent legislation, California has been a leader in providing consumers with choice at the supermarket. “The legislation is obviously aimed at getting rid of raw milk in California using standards that are unnecessary and impossible to meet.”
AB 1735, introduced to the State Assembly on March 15, 2007 and passed nearly seven months later, targets the raw milk industry specifically. During deliberations over AB 1735, legislative records show that legislators discussed raw milk dairies. However, raw milk producers were not consulted on the new legislation.
“Had they asked, I would have cited a 2004 study in the Journal of Dairy Science that shows 80% of raw milk would not meet this new law,” added McAfee. “That is a whole lot of perfectly good milk wasted that my consumers would want to buy. No one asked them about this legislation either.”
Section 35928f of the California Food and Agriculture Code protects raw milk with the statement “the state does not intend to limit or restrict the availability of certified raw milk.” AB 1735 appears to redefine the standards of milk sanitation so that most raw milk will not be considered “certified raw milk.” It will be illegal to sell healthful milk to consumers on January 1, 2008.
McAfee has begun a voice mail, email, and letter-writing campaign to state officials and has asks raw milk consumers and supporters to go to http://www.organicpastures.com for more information.
