How do you like your milk: cooked or raw? It may sound a strange question, but it's being asked more often at kitchen tables, grocery stores and farmers' markets across the US.
The vast majority of milk we drink is heat-treated to kill off harmful bacteria (细菌). Raw milk, on the other hand, goes straight to bottle. Fans call it milk as nature intended: nutrient-rich and full of a good kind of bacteria. Some fans go further, calling it a super food that aids digestion (消化), benefits the immune system and treats some diseases.
An increasing number of people agree. For health-conscious, organic-loving shoppers, raw milk is a growing food trend. They feel uneasy at the thought of heated milk sitting under supermarket lighting. But despite the enthusiasm, it's a trend with a terrible side.
Pasteurization (加热杀菌) is a reason—it's highly effective at killing some harmful things that can hang around in the body of even healthy cows. Raw milk, on the other hand, relies heavily on the skill of the farmer to avoid them.
Raw milk illnesses have increased as more people drink it. Between 2010 and 2019, raw milk and raw milk cheese caused the vast majority (96%) of all illnesses linked to dairy products. Considering far fewer people consume it, that makes unpasteurized dairy 840 times more risky than pasteurized. The recent deaths of two people who ate raw milk cheese made in New York underscored the sometimes deadly consequences. And for young children, whose underdeveloped immune systems make them more vulnerable (易受伤害的), the dangers of raw milk make it hard to recommend.
