June is National Dairy Month. This awareness month originally started in 1937 as National Milk Month, but the name was eventually changed to promote consuming other milk-based products like yogurt, cottage cheese, and much more! But what is milk, anyway? Milk is a fluid produced by the mammary glands of mammals, including humans. While people consume milk from various animals like sheep, goats, camels, and yaks, cow’s milk dominates the global dairy industry. Cow’s milk is mostly water, but it also contains protein, fat, carbohydrates, and important nutrients such as calcium, vitamin B2, vitamin B12, potassium, and phosphorus. Additionally, vitamins A and D are often added during processing.

Milk & Your Health

The 2025 – 2030 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend three daily servings of milk or other dairy products, mainly due to their high calcium content. Calcium supports strong bones and teeth, but it also helps reduce the risk of osteoporosis and fractures. Furthermore, it is vital for blood clotting, muscle contraction, nerve transmission, and a normal heart rhythm. About 99% of the body’s calcium is stored in bones, with the rest found in blood, muscles, and other tissues. The body can get calcium through two ways: 1) consuming foods or supplements with calcium, or 2) the body can “borrow” calcium from the bones to be hopefully replaced later, which isn’t always fully restored.

Research on dairy’s health effects is sometimes contradictory. It depends on factors such as the type, processing, and amount of dairy consumed and whether it’s fermented (as in yogurt, which may benefit the gut microbiome). Popular media articles have speculated that whole milk is no less healthy than skim milk; however, current research has not supported this claim regarding diabetes and heart disease. Nonetheless, a high intake of any type of milk can lead to weight gain due to the extra calories. Cardiovascular disease and dairy have a complex relationship. Whole milk contains saturated fats that may raise “bad” (LDL) cholesterol, yet calcium and potassium in milk can support healthy blood pressure. For cancer, some studies link higher milk intake to a greater risk of prostate cancer, but also a lower risk of colorectal cancer, especially in men.

Raw Milk

Risks

Raw milk is milk that has not undergone pasteurization, which involves heating milk from 145°–212°F for a specific amount of time, based on temperature. This process has been used for decades to reduce the number of bacterial pathogens, including Brucella, Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, Listeria, Mycobacterium, Salmonella, Staphylococcus, and Streptococcus. Infants, young children, older adults, pregnant people, and those with weakened immune systems are at higher risk of severe illness. Milkborne pathogens can cause symptoms such as diarrhea, stomach cramping, vomiting, and, in severe cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome or hemolytic uremic, which can then lead to paralysis, kidney failure, or even death.

Myths

In recent years, a small number of Americans have rejected pasteurization in favor of unpasteurized milk, citing a range of taste, nutritional, and health benefits. But how much of that is true?

• Lactose intolerance cure – false.
• Asthma and allergy treatment – false.
• More effective in preventing osteoporosis – false.
• Presence of beneficial bacteria – false.
• Immune system building food – false.
• Nutritionally superior – false.
• Contains natural antimicrobial components to make raw milk safe – false.

These fake “health claims” can mislead healthy and immunocompromised people into consuming an unsafe product. For a more in-depth look into common raw milk misconceptions, click here.

Regulations

Every state has laws about raw milk sales. Some allow general retail sales, pet food only sales, or farm-only transactions. Some states prohibit raw milk sales entirely. In some places, people use herd share agreements, consumers buy part ownership of a dairy herd and pay the farmer to care for and milk the animals, to legally access raw milk, though certain states prohibit this practice, too. According to the Florida Statutes 502.901, only Grade “A” pasteurized dairy products can be sold retail or to food service establishments for human consumption. However, raw milk can be sold for non-human consumption, including pet food and animal feed, in Florida.

The Bottom Line

In summary, pasteurized milk is safer than raw milk, which causes more foodborne outbreaks than its pasteurized counterpart. And if you see someone online boiling their store-bought raw milk to “remove the harmful bacteria,” just remember—they could have saved themselves the trouble by grabbing pasteurized milk from the start.

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