Milk

Raw milk — is fresh milk that has just been obtained from an animal, without pasteurization, homogenization, and long storage. It retains:

• A full spectrum of active enzymes (lipases, lactases, peroxidases, etc.) — these enzymes participate in the breakdown of proteins, fats, and sugars, facilitating digestion and reducing the load on the gastrointestinal tract.
• Immunoglobulins (antibodies), lactoperoxidase, lactoferrin, lysozyme — all of them have natural antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory effects. For example, lactoferrin binds iron and blocks the growth of pathogenic bacteria.
• Natural fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) in an active bioavailable form — they participate in modulating the immune response.
• A complete composition of fatty acids, including omega-3, CLA (conjugated linoleic acid) — they have pronounced anti-inflammatory effects.

When a person is ill, especially with infections or inflammation, the high bioavailability of these substances helps to quickly suppress inflammation, ease digestion, and reduce the burden on the immune system.

Modern industrial milk is significantly different:

• Pasteurization (heating to high temperatures) destroys enzymes, immune proteins, and vitamin complexes.
• Homogenization alters the structure of fats, breaking down the natural membranes of milk fat globules and leading to the formation of oxidized lipids.
• Long storage — oxidation of fats, denaturation of proteins.
• Stabilizers and preservatives are often added.
• Most importantly — feeding animals industrial feed (rather than grass) changes the ratio of fatty acids: the proportion of omega-3 and beneficial CLA decreases, while the amount of pro-inflammatory omega-6 increases.
• Additionally, many producers add hormones, antibiotics, and additives to the feed, which can partially enter the milk.

The result — instead of an anti-inflammatory product, the body receives a substance that:

• burdens the liver and intestines,
• may exacerbate low-grade chronic inflammation (especially in people with IBS, disrupted microflora, autoimmune and metabolic disorders),
• contributes to lipid metabolism disorders.

Raw milk — is essentially an immunological “cocktail” with high biological activity that supports recovery. Store-bought milk — is a processed product, often losing its original properties and, under certain conditions, even causing harm.

Milk proteins contain amino acids — methionine, cysteine, glutamine — that are involved in the synthesis of glutathione, the main intracellular antioxidant and detoxifier.

Milk fats, especially in their fresh form, provide cholesterol and phospholipids, which are necessary for bile synthesis in the liver. And bile — is the main pathway for the excretion of fat-soluble toxins (pesticides, heavy metals, hormone-like substances, bacterial toxins). Therefore, in cases of poisoning, the activation of bile secretion helps to "wash away" some toxins more quickly through the liver-intestinal cycle.

Carbohydrates (lactose) help maintain intestinal microflora, which aids in binding and excreting toxins through the intestines.

Milk proteins can partially adsorb and bind certain poisons in the stomach and intestines (for example, heavy metal salts, some organic poisons). Especially well do they bind lead, cadmium, and mercury ions — due to the presence of sulfur-containing amino acids and calcium.

And this is far from all the benefits of real milk:

• Calcium — binds fatty acids, bile acids, and some toxins.
• Phospholipids — are important for restoring cell membranes after toxic damage.
• Immunoglobulins and lactoferrin — help in bacterial toxic infections.
• Enzymes (in raw milk) — promote natural detoxification (peroxidase, catalase, etc.).

However, none of this works with store-bought milk:

• In stores, we get skimmed, pasteurized, or ultra-pasteurized milk — practically devoid of active enzymes, lactoferrin, and live immune factors.
• The natural ratio of proteins and fats is disrupted.
• The structures of proteins are altered (denaturation), which reduces the ability to bind toxins.
• There are often residues of antibiotics, hormones, and oxidized fats, which, on the contrary, increase the toxic load.

Therefore, in ancient times, milk really helped with poisoning, but now its effect is minimal or even undesirable in some types of intoxications.

Lactose — is a disaccharide composed of two monosaccharides:

• Glucose
• Galactose

In people with lactase deficiency (lactose intolerance), the production of the enzyme lactase, which breaks down lactose into these two components, is impaired or absent. To make milk "lactose-free," manufacturers add the enzyme lactase to the product itself. As a result:

• Lactose is completely broken down into glucose and galactose before consumption.
• The resulting product formally contains no lactose, but it does contain its components

Although the mass fraction of carbohydrates in grams does not increase,:

• Lactose has a lower sweetness (≈ 0.2 of the sweetness of sucrose)
• Glucose and galactose — are significantly sweeter (glucose ≈ 0.7, galactose ≈ 0.3)
• Therefore, the taste perception of sweetness is 2–3 times higher than in whole milk

Additionally, some lactose-free varieties add extra glucose or syrups to enhance flavor. This can actually increase the amount of rapidly absorbable sugars compared to regular milk.

How this affects the body:

1. Rapid increase in blood sugar. Lactose in regular milk is absorbed slowly, as it requires enzymatic breakdown. Glucose and galactose from lactose-free milk — are already broken down and quickly enter the bloodstream, causing a spike in glucose.
2. Increased insulin load. Rapid sugars require a quick response from the pancreas, which may be undesirable in prediabetes, metabolic syndrome, and insulin resistance.
3. Glycosylation of proteins. Frequent consumption of high glycemic index products increases the formation of AGE products (advanced glycation end-products), which affects tissue aging and inflammation.

Thus, lactose-free milk:

• Formally contains no lactose, but contains glucose and galactose
• May cause faster spikes in blood sugar than whole milk
• Sometimes contains added sugar, especially in flavored varieties

Therefore, for people with insulin resistance, diabetes, or excess weight, it may be less preferable than regular milk if there is no true lactose intolerance.