Despite the BC government receiving a large volume of evidence to the contrary over the last 10 years, government policy still states that there are no nutritional or health benefits to raw milk:

“… there is no credible or scientific evidence that unpasteurized milk produces any measurable health benefits over pasteurized dairy products.” – “Raw Milk Fact Sheet”, 2015 briefing note for the Minister of Health (FOI Request HTH-2015-52291.PDF, p. 156, available from “Open Information“)

“Regarding the purported ‘healthiness’ of raw milk, there is no credible or scientific evidence that consumption of raw milk produces any measurable health benefits.”– “Raw Milk” page, BC Centre for Disease Control, Provincial Health Services Authority, Ministry of Health.

These statements are based on assumptions, not on science. Below are peer-reviewed studies showing that farm-fresh, unprocessed milk has many health benefits.

Main Findings:

Significant and reproducible evidence from large multi-country cross-sectional and cohort studies for a protective effect of raw farm milk consumption in childhood against the development of asthma and allergic diseases.

Evidence from cross-sectional studies for a significant protective effect of raw farm milk consumption against rhinitis, respiratory tract infection, otitis and fever.

Consumption of raw farm milk is a major independent factor in the “farm effect” by which children exposed to farm environments have a lower incidence of asthma and allergic diseases than non-exposed children.

Protective effect against asthma and allergy is most pronounced when exposure to raw farm milk begins in utero, followed by consumption prior to one year of age.

Children fed boiled farm milk are more likely than controls to show signs of milk allergy at age 1, while consumption of raw farm milk is protective against developing milk allergy.

Childhood consumption of raw farm milk correlates with higher pulmonary function and lower incidence of allergic diseases in adults.

Many cellular signalling pathways are activated by consumption of raw farm milk, notably the promotion of regulatory T cell maturation and the epigenetic control of gene expression.

Biological mechanisms are being further investigated with mouse models of asthma and gastrointestinal allergy and with molecular and genomic studies of human intestinal cell lines.

Raw farm milk is a complex substance containing many bioactive components, including whey proteins, transcription factors, immunoglobulins, omega-3 fats and microRNAs.

Commercial processing of milk, including pasteurization, homogenization and centrifugation, denatures bioactive proteins and RNA molecules and alters bioavailability of fat-soluble components

Table 1: Summary of studies of raw milk with health outcomes, 2001-2018

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References:

1 Riedler J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Eder W, Schreuer M, Waser M, Maisch S, Carr D, Schierl R, Nowak D, von Mutius E; ALEX Study Team. Exposure to farming in early life and development of asthma and allergy: a cross-sectional survey. Lancet 2001; 358:1129–33.

2 Barnes M, Cullinan P, Athanasaki P, MacNeill S, Hole AM, Harris J, Kalogeraki S, Chatzinikolaou M, Drakonakis N, Bibaki-Liakou V, Newman Taylor AJ, Bibakis I. Crete: does farming explain urban and rural differences in atopy? Clin Exp Allergy 2001; 31:1822–8.

3 Wickens K, Lane JM, Fitzharris P, Siebers R, Riley G, Douwes J, Smith T, Crane J. Farm residence and exposures and the risk of allergic diseases in New Zealand children. Allergy 2002; 57:1171–9.

4 Remes ST, Iivanainen K, Koskela H, Pekkanen J. Which factors explain the lower prevalence of atopy amongst farmers’ children? Clin Exp Allergy 2003; 33:427–34.

5 Radon K, Windstetter D, Eckart J, Dressel H, Leitritz L, Reichert J, Schmid M, Praml G, Schosser M, von Mutius E, Nowak D. Farming exposure in childhood, exposure to markers of infections and the development of atopy in rural subjects. Clin Exp Allergy 2004; 34:1178–83.

6 Perkin MR, Strachan DP. Which aspects of the farming lifestyle explain the inverse association with childhood allergy? J Allergy Clin Immunol 2006; 117:1374–81.

7 Waser M, Michels KB, Bieli C, Flöistrup H, Pershagen G, von Mutius E, Ege M, Riedler J, Schram-Bijkerk D, Brunekreef B, van Hage M, Lauener R, Braun-Fahrländer C; PARSIFAL Study team. Inverse association of farm milk consumption with asthma and allergy in rural and suburban populations across Europe. Clin Exp Allergy 2007; 37:661–70.

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9 Bieli C, Eder W, Frei R, Braun-Fahrländer C, Klimecki W, Waser M, Riedler J, von Mutius E, Scheynius A, Pershagen G, Doekes G, Lauener R, Martinez FD; PARSIFAL study group. A polymorphism in CD14 modifies the effect of farm milk consumption on allergic diseases and CD14 gene expression. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2007; 120:1308–15.

10 Loss G, Apprich S, Waser M, Kneifel W, Genuneit J, Büchele G, Weber J, Sozanska B, Danielewicz H, Horak E, van Neerven RJ, Heederik D, Lorenzen PC, von Mutius E, Braun-Fahrländer C; GABRIELA study group. The protective effect of farm milk consumption on childhood asthma and atopy: The GABRIELA study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011; 128(4):766-773.

11 Ege MJ, Strachan DP, Cookson WO, Moffatt MF, Gut I, Lathrop M, Kabesch M, Genuneit J, Büchele G, Sozanska B, Boznanski A, Cullinan P, Horak E, Bieli C, Braun-Fahrländer C, Heederik D, von Mutius E; GABRIELA Study Group. Gene-environment interaction for childhood asthma and exposure to farming in Central Europe. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2011; 127(1):138-44, 144.

12 Illi S, Depner M, Genuneit J, Horak E, Loss G, Strunz-Lehner C, Büchele G, Boznanski A, Danielewicz H, Cullinan P, Heederik D, Braun-Fahrländer C, von Mutius E; GABRIELA Study Group. Protection from childhood asthma and allergy in Alpine farm environments-the GABRIEL Advanced Studies. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012; 129(6):1470-7.

13 Sozańska B, Pearce N, Dudek K, Cullinan P. Consumption of unpasteurized milk and its effects on atopy and asthma in children and adult inhabitants in rural Poland. Allergy. 2013;68(5):644-50.

14 Horak E, Morass B, Ulmer H, Genuneit J, Braun-Fahrländer C, von Mutius E; GABRIEL Study Group. Prevalence of wheezing and atopic diseases in Austrian schoolchildren in conjunction with urban, rural or farm residence. Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2014; 126(17-18):532-6.

15 Müller-Rompa SEK, Markevych I, Hose AJ, Loss G, Wouters IM, Genuneit J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Horak E, Boznanski A, Heederik D, von Mutius E, Heinrich J, Ege MJ; GABRIELA Study Group. An approach to the asthma-protective farm effect by geocoding: Good farms and better farms. Pediatr Allergy Immunol. 2018; [Epub ahead of print].

16 Ege MJ, Herzum I, Büchele G, Krauss-Etschmann S, Lauener RP, Roponen M, Hyvärinen A, Vuitton DA, Riedler J, Brunekreef B, Dalphin JC, Braun-Fahrländer C, Pekkanen J, Renz H, von Mutius E; PASTURE Study group. Prenatal exposure to a farm environment modifies atopic sensitization at birth. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2008; 122:407–12.

17 Schaub B, Liu J, Höppler S, Schleich I, Huehn J, Olek S, Wieczorek G, Illi S, von Mutius E. Maternal farm exposure modulates neonatal immune mechanisms through regulatory T cells. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2009; 123(4):774-82.

18 Pfefferle PI, Büchele G, Blümer N, Roponen M, Ege MJ, Krauss-Etschmann S, Genuneit J, Hyvärinen A, Hirvonen MR, Lauener R, Pekkanen J, Riedler J, Dalphin JC, Brunekeef B, Braun-Fahrländer C, von Mutius E, Renz H; PASTURE Study Group. Cord blood cytokines are modulated by maternal farming activities and consumption of farm dairy products during pregnancy: the pasture study. J Allergy Clin Immunol 2010; 125:108–15.

19 Loss G, Bitter S, Wohlgensinger J, Frei R, Roduit C, Genuneit J, Pekkanen J, Roponen M, Hirvonen MR, Dalphin JC, Dalphin ML, Riedler J, von Mutius E, Weber J, Kabesch M, Michel S, Braun-Fahrländer C, Lauener R; PASTURE study group. Prenatal and early-life exposures alter expression of innate immunity genes: the PASTURE cohort study. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2012; 130(2):523-30.

20 Depner M, Ege MJ, Genuneit J, Pekkanen J, Roponen M, Hirvonen MR, Dalphin JC, Kaulek V, Krauss-Etschmann S, Riedler J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Roduit C, Lauener R, Pfefferle PI, Weber J, von Mutius E; PASTURE Study Group. Atopic sensitization in the first year of life. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2013; 131(3):781-8.

21 Lluis A, Depner M, Gaugler B, Saas P, Casaca VI, Raedler D, Michel S, Tost J, Liu J, Genuneit J, Pfefferle P, Roponen M, Weber J, Braun-Fahrländer C, Riedler J, Lauener R, Vuitton DA, Dalphin JC, Pekkanen J, von Mutius E, Schaub B; PASTURE Study Group. Increased regulatory T-cell numbers are associated with farm milk exposure and lower atopic sensitization and asthma in childhood. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2014; 133(2):551-9.

22 Loss G, Depner M, Ulfman LH, van Neerven RJ, Hose AJ, Genuneit J, Karvonen AM, Hyvärinen A, Kaulek V, Roduit C, Weber J, Lauener R, Pfefferle PI, Pekkanen J, Vaarala O, Dalphin JC, Riedler J, Braun-Fahrländer C, von Mutius E, Ege MJ; PASTURE study group. Consumption of unprocessed cow’s milk protects infants from common respiratory infections. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2015; 135(1):56-62.

23 Kääriö H, Huttunen K, Karvonen AM, Schaub B, von Mutius E, Pekkanen J, Hirvonen MR, Roponen M. Exposure to a farm environment is associated with T helper 1 and regulatory cytokines at age 4.5 years. Clin Exp Allergy. 2016; 46(1):71-7.

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