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Healthy Home Economist / Archives / Healthy Pregnancy, Baby & Child / Young Raw Milk Drinkers Less Prone to Allergies

Young Raw Milk Drinkers Less Prone to Allergies

by Sarah Pope / Affiliate Links ✔

Table of Contents[Hide][Show]
  • Raw Milk Protective Against Allergies
  • Reduced Asthma Risk
  • Stronger Immunity Overall

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.

raw milk allergy free

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.  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

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Category: Healthy Pregnancy, Baby & Child, Raw Milk and Childcare, Raw Milk Benefits
Sarah Pope

Sarah Pope MGA has been a Health and Nutrition Educator since 2002. She is a summa cum laude graduate in Economics from Furman University and holds a Master’s degree from the University of Pennsylvania.

She is the author of three books: Amazon #1 bestseller Get Your Fats Straight, Traditional Remedies for Modern Families, and Living Green in an Artificial World.

Her four eBooks Good Diet…Bad Diet, Real Food Fermentation, Ketonomics, and Ancestrally Inspired Dairy-Free Recipes are available for complimentary download via Healthy Home Plus.

Her mission is dedicated to helping families effectively incorporate the principles of ancestral diets within the modern household. She is a sought after lecturer around the world for conferences, summits, and podcasts.

Sarah was awarded Activist of the Year in 2010 at the International Wise Traditions Conference, subsequently serving on the Board of Directors of the nutrition nonprofit the Weston A. Price Foundation for seven years.

Her work has been covered by numerous independent and major media including USA Today, ABC, and NBC among many others.

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Reader Interactions

Comments (141)

  1. Allison Powell via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 11:09 pm

    I was told I shouldn’t be allergic to raw milk even though I’m allergic to non. My throat began to swell with the first sip. Wouldn’t recommend it for milk allergy sufferers.

    Reply
    • Jamie

      Feb 22, 2013 at 2:10 pm

      Try raw goat’s milk, it’s less allergenic than cow. If that is still problematic you might be able to eat yogurt or kefir made from raw goat’s milk.

  2. Sara Brodt via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 11:07 pm

    Also…to Amanda who’s son has allergies-find a doc in your area who does the NAET method for treating allergies. It’s stunning how well it works. It’s energy therapy

    Reply
  3. Dena Nau Royal via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 10:07 pm

    Buying a herd share sounds intimidating but it’s pretty easy. We love our milk!! My don doesn’t have the constant stuffy nose and stomach troubles he used to have with store bought milk.

    Reply
  4. Sara Brodt via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 11:06 pm

    Raw milk isn’t your best bet for eczema….start with fermented cod liver oil/butter oil blend.

    Reply
    • HoustonMom

      Feb 22, 2013 at 12:36 pm

      Amen. The Green Pastures FCLO/HVBO helped clear up a molluscum contagium rash my 3 yo had for several months after trying several other holistic remedies. Great products.

    • Karen

      Sep 26, 2013 at 8:00 pm

      I tried FCLO for my eczema and for some reason every time I take it, I feel nausea. Not right away but later in the day. At first I thought it was something else, but then after stopping and starting back up 4 more times a few days apart, same thing would happen. I can’t seem to figure out why.

  5. Mindy Miller Lively via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 11:03 pm

    We switched to raw milk about a month ago. I had lactose intolerance & 2 kiddos with asthma/congestion, bed-wetting type reactions to pasteurized milk. It was even against my will to begin drinking it because I haven’t drank milk for probably 15 years. I have no intolerance and am shocked. My kids also haven’t had problems with bed wetting nor sinus issues. I have a special needs daughter with severe eczema and tried giving her raw milk and in hours she reacted with rash. I’m afraid to try again but I’ve read raw milk can reverse eczema. Is this true?

    Reply
    • Jen

      Feb 22, 2013 at 12:21 pm

      Have you looked into the GAPS diet for your special needs daughter?

    • Emily

      Apr 16, 2013 at 11:31 am

      My daughter had eczema really bad as a toddler. We had no clue thar regular milk was causing her problem. I did a whole/raw foods study and class at my church and learned about the benefits of raw milk. We started drinking it and her break outs disappeared. That was about 5 years ago. She gets only occasional flare ups when she eats too many regular pasteurized milk products (regular cheeses, yogurts, etc.)… raw milk was a God-send for her and our entire family!

  6. Darla Cash via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 11:02 pm

    I grew up drinking raw milk from our cow, Masie. I now enjoy a robust immunity as I continue to drink it. Susan Waite Blanchfield–your daughter may have a sensitivity to casein, a milk protein. Its in milk–whether raw or not.

    Reply
  7. François Tremblay via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 10:37 pm

    It’s a shame it is illegal in Quebec and Ontario, Canada…

    Reply
    • zazy

      Feb 22, 2013 at 1:12 pm

      You can get raw milk in Canada by buying a cow share from a farmer which in turn makes it legal for you to drink. Visit http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/other-countries/#can to find participating farmers in Canada.
      Good luck!

  8. François Tremblay via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 10:37 pm

    I really want raw milk, and I wanna give that to my family and future kids.

    Reply
  9. Health-e-links via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 10:36 pm

    Wish it was easier to get hold of!

    Reply
  10. Karen Lossing via Facebook

    Feb 21, 2013 at 10:13 pm

    Amanda, I would encourage you to seek the help of GAPS diet, we too also live on a farm and also breatfed for two years, and have used only raw milk and organic foods etc. But the GAPS diet has worked wonders for our Autistic Son. Yes we have healthy Children, but sometimes we have the same trials as those don’t feed their Children healthy foods…but God always provides us a way out of our trials 🙂

    Reply
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