There are many myths and misconceptions in the general population regarding both lactose intolerance and raw milk. For instance, you may have heard that raw milk is better for you than store-bought milk. You may also have heard that lactose intolerance is quite common or that you can treat it with pineapple or papaya enzymes. None of these statements are true.
Raw Milk
Raw milk is nothing more than milk that hasn't been homogenized or pasteurized. Homogenization is the process of blending milk so it's uniform in consistency throughout. Without homogenization, milk separates into cream -- fat -- that floats on top and a lower-fat liquid that settles to the bottom. Pasteurization involves briefly heating the milk to a high temperature for a very short time. This kills bacteria without cooking the milk, which would denature the proteins -- render them inactive.
Milk Myths
You might have heard that raw milk is "real" -- and consequently, that pasteurized and homogenized milk is somehow altered or unnatural. This is not true. The homogenization process doesn't change the milk in the least. Pasteurization removes most of the bacteria that can cause serious illness -- Listeria, for instance -- but doesn't alter the nutrient content. While pasteurization can affect the activity of some of the enzymes in milk, you neither need nor can use enzymes from other organisms. Further, your stomach immediately destroys the enzymes in raw milk because of its acidity, since as Drs. Reginald Garrett and Charles Grisham explain in their book "Biochemistry," enzymes are very acid sensitive.
Lactose Intolerance
Lactose intolerance results from an inability to produce sufficient quantities of the enzyme lactase, which your small intestine uses to break down milk sugar, explains Dr. Lauralee Sherwood in her book "Human Physiology." One of the most prevalent myths about lactose intolerance is that it's quite common, and that any gastric upset upon drinking milk is due to lactose intolerance. Actually, lactose intolerance is relatively rare among healthy children and adults of European descent, though it's slightly more prevalent in some other ethnic groups.
Other Myths
Another common misconception regarding lactose intolerance is that you can treat it with pineapple or papaya enzymes. You can take one enzyme -- lactase -- to help you digest the lactose in milk, but this doesn't treat your condition. Supplemental lactase helps you digest lactose for only a very short period of time, so you must take it before each lactose-containing meal. Other enzymes do nothing to help you digest lactose, nor can they treat lactose intolerance.
References
- "Biochemistry"; Reginald Garrett, Ph.D., and Charles Grisham, Ph.D.; 2007
- "Human Physiology"; Lauralee Sherwood, Ph.D.; 2004
