SUMMARY:

A recent investigation by a French government-run agency under direction of the Health Ministry, observed that drinking raw dairy milk can have a negative impact on children’s health.

This investigation comes as a response to the very serious E. coli 026 outbreak that occurred in France earlier in the year.

Several children had contracted Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome (HUS) — a disease responsible for destroying blood-clotting cells which also leads to low red blood count and sometimes even kidney failure.

Hemolytic Uremic Syndrome was connected to eating reblochon — a type of cheese made with unpasteurized raw milk. Raw milk that is unpasteurized runs the risk of playing host to potentially harmful pathogens. 

The study included fifteen children under five years old who’d consumed the cheese.

• Twelve of them suffered from infections of the same strain of E. coli O26.

• One of the children died.

• 11 children contracted HUS.

• The remaining three children were infected with a different strain of E. coli.

These results eventually led to a recall of every piece of reblochon made with raw milk on the Cruseilles (Haute-Savoie) site of Chabert. Upwards of 350 tons of cheese were recalled. This also promtped a recall of the cheese in Canada as a precautionary measure.

This study  is the latest in a growing body of research suggesting dairy-free diets are the best way to prevent disease. One study linked consumption of cow’s milk to iron deficiency in toddlers and dairy intake has furthermore been linked to a wide range of health conditions affecting children, from chronic constipation to GERD. 

In contrast, recent studies have strongly suggested that adopting a plant-based diet could decrease leukemia risk in children and even help them to avoid obesity. According to the World Cancer Research Fund, cutting out meat also reduces a person’s cancer risk, in general, by nearly 50%.

This research lends credence to the numerous other reports re-iterating the great need for adding more plant-based foods to your child’s daily menu if you want to ensure their best health. 

And if you want more information about kidney disease and children, be sure to view our article backlog, packed with articles about how to protect your kids from kidney failure.