Consumption of Raw, Unpasteurised Milk Harmful for Pregnant Women, Children and Infants: AAP

Expecting mothers, infants and children should stay away from raw milk, a latest American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policy statement reads.

AAP also stated that the sales of unpasteurised milk and other milk products should be forbidden in the U.S.

"Among milk- or milk product-associated foodborne illness outbreaks reported to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention between 1973 and 2009, 82 percent were attributable to raw milk or cheese," the statement read. Pregnant women, children and infants were likely victims of the diseases caused by the consumption of raw milk.

The research, published in the journal Pediatrics, noted that unpasteurised milk products have several harmful bacteria such as Listeria, Salmonella, Escherichia coli and Cryptosporidium.

The researchers said that benefits of raw milk consumption did not have scientific or medical support. Furthermore, previous studies have stated that intake of raw milk and other related products have lead to various bacterial infections. They also affirmed that there is "strong scientific evidence that pasteurization does not alter the nutritional value of milk."

A study published in 'Emerging Infectious Diseases,' asserted that for past 10 years in Minnesota, where selling of unpasteurised milk is legal, over 17 percent of people who consumed it fell sick.

"There are no proven nutritional advantages of raw milk," said lead author, Dr Jatinder Bhatia, the chief of neonatology at Georgia Regent University in Augusta, according to the New York Times. "Further, raw milk and milk products account for a significant proportion of food borne illnesses in Americans. There is no reason to risk consuming raw milk."

The AAP statement emphasized the fact that the US Food and Drug Administration banned the interstate sale of raw milk products since 1987. However, the agency has no jurisdiction in the regulation of milk sanitation within individual states, reported Medscape.