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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
Finally, they’ve adjusted for the Hygiene Hypothesis.
Sarah E Wiederkehr Thank you for posting that link1
Go to realmilk.com to find sources near you. Good luck!
did you guys check out this list to find raw milk http://www.realmilk.com/real-milk-finder/
The China Study is great and can easily be adapted to be inline with Nourishing Traditions. NT recommends that half your meal be vegetables either raw or fermented. High quality dairy is vet important, if vegetables are at least 50% of your intake it is not hard to keep dairy intake at 20% or less.
where can u buy raw milk?
I agree, but my problem is locating it. Everyone keeps telling me to call WAPF people in my state, IA. I have tried to call the local people and no one is calling me back – most probably because of the legal issues happening currently here. So, my question becomes – how do you find it when you feel like you have tried every avenue? I can’t just drive to farms and start asking. 🙂 I appreciate the touting of the benefits, but I guess I would like some information on how to help us locate it. Everyone says to call WAPF and that isn’t working for me – I wish it was!
Yes, drive to farms and start asking. Networking through dairymen works. Politely asking for help while demonstrating a solid base of knowledge about the cows, raw milk, and the legal issues along with having a good reason for wanting the milk will lead dairymen take you seriously and want to help you.
Attend a dairyman’s association meeting. Find a farm/diary supplier and start chatting. Talk to farmers at farmer’s markets.
You’ll get plenty of no’s, some leads, and then you’ll hit a yes. Large dairies won’t be interested so aim small but not so small that good sanitation equipment and practices are not in place. A good choice would be a family owned dairy that’s inspected and legally makes unpasteurized cheese.
You may end up with a few candidates. Visit the dairies and compare their practices with known good practices ) to pick the best dairy.
You’ll be more compelling if you represent a larger group like a CSA in need of a large quantity of milk on a regular basis, so joining one or even gathering up a few neighbors and creating your own is helpful.
We kefir all of our live milk. We harvest a quart of this cultured milk a day. The SCOBYs multiply like rabbits and the surplus goes into the compost. We use the kefir as a thick, creamy beverage, or sour cream, or will split it into cheese and whey. That whey is our primary inoculant for ferments or soaking flour for baking. Kefir whey tastes like lemon juice and much more pleasant than regular whey. Yeah, we are big fans of live dairy!
I wish dairy didn’t give my son eczema. Raw milk really helped me rebuild my gut after it was messed up from all the antibiotics during my c-section. At least he’s getting raw mama milk.