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Only 7% of children who drink grassfed raw milk have allergies versus 44% of those who don’t consume this healthful traditional food. The asthma rate is lower and overall immunity higher for raw milk drinking kids too.
The Hygiene Hypothesis states that when children lack early exposure to infectious agents, parasites, and symbiotic microorganisms like normal gut flora such as would naturally occur in a rural or farm environment, they are much more likely to suffer from autoimmune disorders such as allergies or asthma.
This hypothesis helps to explain why farm kids tend to be so much healthier and far less prone to immune disorders than children raised in an urban setting.
Now, an international team of researchers has taken the Hygiene Hypothesis a step further by looking at how one raw milk protects against allergies in children. This is but one of the health benefits of raw milk, particularly from grassfed cows.
The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology is reporting that farm children who drink raw milk exhibit a far superior immune response than either farm children who don’t consume raw milk or children living in an urban setting.
Raw Milk Protective Against Allergies
The team of researchers led by Dr. Mark Holbreich MD, an allergy and asthma specialist, compared skin prick tests of mostly raw milk drinking Amish children aged 6-12 years old living in Indiana to non-raw milk drinking Swiss children living in either a farm or urban setting. Amish children in Indiana were chosen due to their genetic similarity to modern-day Swiss children.
The results of the skin prick tests to assess allergic sensitization are summarized as follows:
- Over 44% of the urban living Swiss children exhibited an allergic reaction.
- Approximately 25% of the non-raw milk drinking Swiss farm children had an allergic reaction.
- Only 7% of primarily raw milk drinking Amish children had an allergic reaction.
Reduced Asthma Risk
This study reinforces the results of the 2011 Gabriella study which found lower asthma rates as well.
Exposure to farm milk in early life and consumption of raw farm milk have been associated with a reduced asthma and atopy risk, and it has been suggested that this protection might be mediated through receptors of the innate immune system.
Stronger Immunity Overall
While the results of this large survey combined with allergy testing are very promising with raw milk potentially a very easy way for parents to safely increase the odds that their children avoid the lifelong burden of allergies and/or asthma, further research is warranted.  Dr. Holbreich’s team noted that some of the superior immune response of the raw milk drinking children may be due to the very large Amish families which may provide additional protective factors.
Should parents eager to provide their children with maximum lifelong vibrant health wait for these studies to occur?
While some parents may wish to remain cautious, more forward-thinking parents wishing to provide their children with a health edge today will no doubt seek to source grassfed raw milk immediately based on this information. Â As wisely noted by Dr. Kate Rheaume-Bleue in her book Vitamin K2 and the Calcium Paradox:
We can’t always wait for science to identify the nutrients and test for them before we go ahead and benefit from them.
References
(1) The protective effect of farm milk consumption on childhood asthma and atopy
(2) Study of Amish children proves raw milk promotes health, boosts immunity
I have to concur with Ms Brown. While the results are encouraging these two groups are sufficiently disparate to cause even a lay person to question the validity of the comparison.
I find your quote from Dr. Rheaume-Bleue ironic in that not waiting for validation of so many dietary theories is why we’re up the proverbial creek today.
btw I too lament the fact that raw milk is an evil substance here in Ontario CA
I purchased 4 gallons of raw milk Wednesday and I’m enjoying it very much. I also got some leaf fat to render into lard and some grass fed beef liver. It was about 70 miles round trip, but worth it to me. It tastes good, but doesn’t seem to have as much cream in it as the milk my grandmother provided back in the mid-1950’s. She had a different breed of cow than the farmer/rancher I get my milk from, I believe. I love it anyway and I’m grateful to have some raw milk.
Sara, you mentioned in your post on the healthy mouth summit about eating raw frozen liver or feeding it to your son. How much per day should an adult eat? Do you slice it up and freeze it so it will be easier to get a certain size portion.
Go to http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/
Click on your state.
While I agree that raw milk likely is a factor in this (in much the way raw honey has very similar healthful properties) I would caution citing this as an end-all study the verifies this conclusion universally. Swiss children and Amish children are being raised in EXTREMELY different geographic environments with wildly different climates and particularly unique environmental allergens and pollutants (think of all the things outlawed in Europe that are legal in the US and vice versa). While the genetic similarities might compensate for a portion of this, the fact of the matter is that humans adapt to their environment and a study that literally spans continents and compares various groups across continents. There will still be children who have an intolerance to dairy, there will still be children whose immune system may be too weak to handle these raw foods. While I love living as simply and unprocessed as possible, I would caution readers from citing this in such a gung-ho fashion as the final say on the issue.
There are several other studies that look at similar populations in the same country and show the exact same effect.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21875744
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17456213
It’s pretty clear that raw milk DOES have a protective effect, although there will always be other factors.
Chubblywubbly:
Check the Weston A Price Foundation website for more information on raw milk for your state. This is how I found out farms in Virginia providing raw milk. It is truly so delicious. All the best in your search.
Bonnie
Hi Sarah. I enjoy your blog and the timely info but I’m curious as to why a grass-fed, organic, raw milk gal would have a “Clorox Ad” posted on her website?
That is a google ad based on YOUR web history.
Hallo I have just found that I am pregnant. I have read many articles about listerious in raw milk, can you write me if there is some way to find out wheather milk have listerious or no. Like with homemade kefir, do you think that when it is watery the milk was wrong?
Thanks a lot
When this raw milk study was first published, it was featured on NPR. I heard the article and scoured the web to find out more. Upon reading the study, my first question was, “Were these Amish kids immunized?” As many/most Amish communities historically would not immunize their children as a rule. So, I contacted Dr. Holbreich to inquire as to whether the immunization status had been considered. He kindly responded by saying that the Amish population was immunized at a rate of 80% as a whole in the population which they used for their study. I am pretty familiar with the Amish community as we live very near Lancaster, PA, and often get our raw milk, chicken, eggs from Amish sources. An 80% immunization rate would be a very high percentage in the communities from which I am familiar. In addition, I was left with the impression that immunization record, schedule, etc. was not considered individually for each child included in the study. While I do not even slightly doubt the power of raw milk or its positive effects with regard to allergies, I would assert that the immunization factor is of crucial impact in my opinion to the findings of this study. Of course, this is my opinion and I have far fewer letters after my name:)
I grew up on that one, though I am not able to drink it now!
Sarah, will you be participating in the raw milk cure this year? If I remember correctly, you did this March 1 of last year. I participated and plan to do it again!