Blog
Raw Milk & Listeriosis, Where's The Evidence? Part 2
Written by Daniel Roytas (MHSc Human Nutrition), BHSc (Naturopathy), Dip. RM
When we think about raw milk, getting food poisoning from Listeria monocytogenes (L. monocytogenes) is probably the first thing that comes to mind. Now I’m not saying people don’t get sick from drinking contaminated milk, but as I highlighted in part 1 of this blog, the evidence proving that L. monocytogenes is the cause of disease, is less than convincing to say the least. In part 2 of this blog, I’m going to provide alternative hypotheses as to the reasons why people might get sick from contaminated milk. It’s important to note, that in no way am I making definitive claims, I am merely highlighting that there are other plausible explanations. It's also important to note that contaminated milk refers to any source of contamination, not just bacterial contamination.
It’s probably important to note that when I say “contaminated milk”, I am referring to both...
Raw Milk & Listeriosis, Where's The Evidence? Part 1
Written by Daniel Roytas (MHSc Human Nutrition), BHSc (Naturopathy), Dip. RM
When I mention to people that I am doing a raw milk fast, their immediate reaction is, “That’s so dangerous, you could get sick from listeria and die”. Naturally, I wanted to dig deeper in to the scientific evidence supporting the theory that listeria is the cause of disease.
Listeria (L. monocytogenes) is said to be the bacteria responsible for causing food poisoning (listeriosis) from the consumption of contaminated raw dairy products. The symptoms of listeriosis range from no symptoms at all (asymptomatic), to a severe infection resulting in diarrhoea, fever and in extreme causes, septicaemia and even death. To prevent listeriosis, raw dairy products are required to be Pasteurised, which is the process of heating milk to a temperature of approximately 65°C for 30 minutes, or temperatures above 90°C for just a few seconds1. It’s important to note that just because milk has...
