Raw milk or fermented dairy and lactose intolerance. Why might it help?

*Originally written on 10/22/21. Updated on 4/2/25.

I was misinformed. At some point, I read that raw milk contains lactase. As it turns out, this is not true!

It's true that raw milk contains many live enzymes that are inactivated during pasteurization. This is true for milk from all mammals - cows, goats, buffalos, humans, mice, whales, etc.

It contains the protease enzyme, which aids in the digestion of protein. It contains the lipase enzyme, which aids in the digestion of fat. It contains the phosphatase enzyme, which decreases inflammation and reduces the risk of heart disease and Type-2 diabetes. And, there are numerous other examples.

But, what about lactase? Lactase is a specific enzyme that’s necessary to break down lactose, milk sugar.

When a baby is born, it naturally produces lots and lots of lactase in its intestines, which is used to break down breast milk. But, as that human gets older and older, it naturally produces less and less lactase.

Lactose intolerance is when a person either produces none or not enough lactase. In turn, they are unable to fully digest lactose, which typically leads to bloating, diarrhea, cramps, nausea, and other uncomfortable side effects.

The mainstream medical solution to this is avoiding dairy altogether (which is such a shame, since it can be such a nourishing food), supplementing with an artificial lactase enzyme, or drinking Lactaid or other lactose-free dairy products.

Ever wonder how lactose-free dairy exists? Well that has to do with lactase, too! They add artificial lactase enzymes that consume all lactose in the final product.

I’ve heard countless anecdotal stories from people who are lactose intolerant... but can handle raw milk. If raw milk doesn’t contain lactase, then why is that?

Raw milk contains beneficial bacteria that can jumpstart your body into producing lactase, which then breaks down lactose in the intestinal tract. Amazing!

These Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria bacteria are virtually nonexistent in pasteurized milk, since heating the milk to 145F kills 95-99% all living microorganisms. And that's fine for many people who don't get tummy troubles after eating dairy. But for others, raw milk is a better, gut healing fit.

And what about yogurt and kefir and cheese, even when it's made from pasteurized milk? I've heard some people say they can handle those but not pasteurized milk itself.

The probiotic strains in yogurt and cheese made from pasteurized milk can do the same thing as raw milk! And, the enzymes in kefir actually digest lactose themselves!

Plus, the process of fermenting dairy reduces the amount of lactose in the final product. After all, those probiotics are eating the lactose and creating lactic acid, which is what gives yogurt and cheese and kefir it's "tang".

Keep in mind that these effects may take time. If a lactose intolerant person drinks raw milk or eats yogurt or kefir, they may still have issues at first. This is one big reason that it’s recommended to introduce raw milk or reintroduce dairy slowly.

Going back thousands of years, humans developed lactase persistent genes through natural selection. This allowed them to digest dairy into adulthood and to live in colder climates, consuming dairy in the colder months when foraged foods were unavailable.

So, this makes me wonder, with the popularity of pasteurized and lactose-free dairy in the past 100 years, are we selectively breeding out the lactase persistent genes? 

This is why the Miller’s Bio Farm tagline is “Inspiring Healthy Generations”. It’s not just about your health now, but the health of the future generations to come.

Can you handle raw milk but not pasteurized or vice versa? Can you handle yogurt, kefir, and cheese but not milk?

I’d love to hear your story. Contact us or join the conversation below (no account required!).

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Sources

• Raw Milk Institute, Letter to Medical Professionals about Raw Milk
• Mayo Clinic, Lactose Intolerance
• Raw Milk Institute, Raw Milk and Lactose Intolerance
• The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Lactose digestion in humans: intestinal lactase appears to be constitutive whereas the colonic microbiome is adaptable
• Healthline, 9 Evidence-Based Health Benefits of Kefir
• Wiley Online Library, The effect of yogurt fortified with Lactobacillus acidophilus and Bifidobacterium sp. probiotic in patients with lactose intolerance

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