Page 88 - Winter2020

A Campaign for Real Milk

ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT GENES IN RAW MILK:
WHAT DO THE DATA REALLY MEAN?
By Mark McAfee and Sarah Smith

Government-Funded Study Finds ZERO cow’s milk has also been shown to support the
Pathogens in Raw Milk Samples! That’s what the growth of bifidobacteria.
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headline should have read. Instead, the study was
titled, “Reservoirs of antimicrobial resistance POTENTIAL DANGERS OF
genes in retail raw milk.” The study, funded ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT GENES
1
by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and Antibiotic-resistant genes can pose potential
the United States Department of Agriculture health threats in specific circumstances. When
(USDA), was not able to find any pathogens in we take antibiotics, the intestinal microbiome
raw milk. So instead they focused on trying to is disrupted as both beneficial and harmful bac-
create fear of antibiotic-resistant genes, which teria are killed off. This weakens our immune
were found to proliferate when raw milk was system overall. If there are antibiotic-resistant
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allowed to sit at room temperature for hours. bacteria present in the gut, taking antibiotics
actually allows these bacteria to proliferate in the
ANTIBIOTIC-RESISTANT GENES absence of competing bacteria. There can then
ARE UBIQUITOUS be infection or illness that does not respond to
Antibiotic-resistant genes are everywhere. antibiotics. Antibiotic resistance is responsible
They’ve been found in every environment, in- for the deaths of tens of thousands of people
cluding pristine habitats such as Antarctica that every year in the U.S. alone.
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have been virtually untouched by humans. For example, Clostridium difficile colitis
2,3
They’re even found in the dust of buildings. (C. diff. colitis) is an infection of the colon that
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In a 2007 paper, Gerard Wright noted that results from disruption of the healthy bacteria in
Antibiotic- “Antibiotics are ancient, dating back hundreds the gut, usually as a result of taking antibiotics.
resistant genes of millions of years.” As Wright added, “Resis- C. diff. can cause diarrhea, abdominal pain, fe-
3
are everywhere. tance is therefore equally ancient, and the num- ver, bloody stools, kidney failure and even death.
ber of genes in the resistome is a reflection of the One of the best treatment options for severe C.
They’ve continuous co-evolution of small molecules in diff. infections is fecal transplant. Severely ill C.

been found in natural environments and microbial genomes.” diff. patients have a 92 percent cure rate from
Given that they are ubiquitous in the envi-
every ronment, it is no surprise that there are antibiotic- fecal transplants, which provide a healthy flush
of poop from a healthy human donor into the
environment, resistant genes in many foods. Breast milk, too, colon. The fecal transplant recolonizes the gut
5
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including contains antibiotic-resistant genes carried on with healthy bacteria.
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pristine bacteria found in the raw breast milk. However
researchers in Helsinki found that, even though ZERO PATHOGENS IN
habitats such breast milk contains antibiotic-resistant genes, RAW MILK SAMPLES
as Antarctica breastfed babies actually have fewer antibiotic- Coming back to the study funded by the
1
that have resistant genes in their guts than babies who NIH and USDA, researchers found that anti-
biotic-resistant genes proliferated in raw milk
weren’t breastfed or who terminated breastfeed-
been ing early. Researchers attribute this benefit to that was allowed to sit at room temperature
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virtually the fact that breast milk promotes the growth for hours. Their research also showed that raw
untouched of beneficial bacteria such as bifidobacteria, milk that was kept refrigerated had low levels
of antibiotic-resistant genes. What this actually
which can then outcompete the bacteria carry-
by humans. ing antibiotic-resistant genes. Like breast milk, demonstrates is that raw milk from around the
86 Wise Traditions WINTER 2020