Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption | FDA Skip to main content Skip to FDA Search Skip to in this section menu Skip to footer links Home Food Resources for You (Food) Consumers Buy, Store & Serve Safe Food Raw Milk Misconceptions and the Danger of Raw Milk Consumption Buy, Store & Serve Safe Food In this section Raw Milk Main Page Raw milk can contain a variety of disease-causing pathogens, as demonstrated by numerous scientific studies. These studies, along with numerous foodborne outbreaks, clearly demonstrate the risk associated with drinking raw milk. Pasteurization effectively kills raw milk pathogens without any significant impact on milk nutritional quality. In this document, the FDA provides a close examination of the myths associated with drinking raw milk. The review below is based on scientific literature. Raw milk does not cure lactose intolerance. Lactose is a unique disaccharide found in milk. Lactose concentration in bovine milk is about 4.8%. People with lactose intolerance lack the enzyme, beta-galactosidase or lactase, to break down lactose into glucose and galactose during digestion. All milk, raw or pasteurized, contains lactose and can cause lactose intolerance in sensitive individuals. There is no indigenous lactase in milk. Raw milk advocates claim that raw milk does not cause lactose intolerance because it contains lactase secreted by “beneficial” or probiotic bacteria present in raw milk. As discussed in a later section (claim 4), raw milk does not contain probiotic organisms. Fermented dairy products, especially yogurt, have been reported to ease lactose mal-absorption in lactose intolerant subjects (McBean and Miller, 1984; Lin et al., 1991; Onwulata et al., 1989; Savaiano et al., 1984). This enhanced digestion of lactose has been attributed to the intra-intestinal hydrolysis of lactose by lactase secreted by yogurt fermentation microorganisms (Lin et al., 1991; Savaiano et al., 1984). However, raw milk does not