Community
Print
A video of a woman claiming to have “fixed” her lactose intolerance by drinking raw cow’s milk has been flagged as containing false information.
The clip – titled “Healing my lactose intolerance with raw cow’s milk” – shows a woman appearing to make a smoothie using raw milk. Raw milk refers to milk that has not been pasteurized or homogenized. Pasteurization is a process that heats the milk to a specific temperature for a set period of time to kill harmful bacteria, viruses, and parasites.
“The problem with conventional milk is that during pasteurization the enzyme lactase is destroyed,” a voiceover says in the video. “Raw cow’s milk contains both lactose and lactase in it. And, when both are present, the milk is easily digestible.” She adds that “milk in its natural form is extremely nutritious,” going onto state that she can now “tolerate” this good group with “slow exposure to raw milk and quality dairy products.”
False information
The reel, which was posted back in 2022, carries a warning label reading: “Partly false information. Reviewed by independent fact checkers.” The fact checker is cited as the Australian Associated Press (AAP), which stated that the claims about lactase are “udderly untrue.”
Lactase is an enzyme that helps the body break down lactose. People who are lactose intolerant do not have enough lactase, meaning they struggle to digest dairy products. The video claims that raw milk contains lactase, but this is false.
“Experts say there is little to no lactase in raw milk, and any traces that are present would not impact digestion or help those who are lactose intolerant,” the AAP said of the video.
Multiple studies have found that raw milk is not easier to digest for people with lactose intolerance.
The dangers of raw milk
Speaking to Plant Based News, doctor, author, and founder of Plant Based Health Professionals Dr Shireen Kassam warned against drinking raw milk. She said consuming it poses “significant health risks” from infectious agents, which can lead to food poisoning.
“Lactose intolerance is in fact the normal state for humans beyond infancy, as milk is no longer required for maintaining health,” she said. Around 70 of the world’s population are lactose intolerant, and dairy has also been linked to health problems including breast cancer, prostate cancer, and type 2 diabetes.
“The bottom line is that humans do not need to consume milk from other mammals,” said Dr Kassam. “its production is hugely harmful to the environment and of course the industry is unimaginably cruel for the animals involved.”
