The CDC is blunt: pasteurization is what makes milk safe, and raw milk can carry Campylobacter, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, Salmonella, and Cryptosporidium.
Consequences range from days of vomiting and diarrhea to kidney failure and pregnancy loss, with children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women, and immunocompromised people at highest risk. The nutrition claims for raw milk do not survive scrutiny, and the CDC's bottom line: pasteurized milk gives you the nutrition without the pathogens. If you drank raw milk and got sick, name it to your doctor so they test for the right germs.
What to do
Common questions
Is raw milk safe?
No, and the disagreement is not really about nutrition, it is about germs. The CDC states that pasteurization is what makes milk safe because it kills harmful germs, and that consuming raw milk can lead to serious health risks. Raw milk can carry Campylobacter, Cryptosporidium, E. coli, Listeria, Brucella, and Salmonella, any of which can cause days of vomiting and diarrhea, and occasionally much worse: kidney failure from E. coli, pregnancy loss from Listeria, bloodstream infections. The CDC names the higher-risk groups: children under 5, adults over 65, pregnant women, and people with weakened immune systems. Claims that raw milk is more nutritious or cures lactose intolerance or allergies do not hold up, and the CDC's advice is direct: choosing pasteurized milk and dairy products is the best way to safely enjoy the nutritional benefits of milk, since pasteurization barely changes the nutrition while removing the pathogens. If you want minimally processed milk, look for pasteurized, non-homogenized options, which keep the farm character without the germ roulette. Anyone who drank raw milk and now has diarrhea, fever, or stomach cramps should tell their doctor about the raw milk specifically, because it changes what they test for.