Drinking Raw Milk May Cause Various Health Risks
Cow milk has always been touted to be one of the most nutritious foods around the world, but the raw or unpasteurised form of milk may not be as beneficial as it seems. A recent study by the researchers at University of California, Davis, found that consumption of raw milk, which is left at a room temperature, may lead to foodborne illness. It may also be a source of bacteria containing transferrable antimicrobial resistance genes. For the unversed, antimicrobial resistance is defined as the ability of a microbe to resist the effects of anti-biotic medication. And as per the Centers for Disease Control, each year, almost 3 million people in the United States get affected by antibiotic-resistant infection. The findings were published in the journal Microbiome.
The researchers examined more than 2000 milk samples from different parts of the United States, including raw milk and milk pasteurised in various ways. It was found that raw milk had the highest prevalence of antibiotic-resistant microbes when left at room temperature.
