Farm milk ‘offers better asthma protection than processed milk’

A new study has indicated that fresh milk could help protect children against developing asthma.

The research from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen assessed the composition of untreated farm milk compared to store-bought milk that had undergone different degrees of industrial processing, including pasteurisation, homogenisation and fat reduction.

It was shown that the level of omega-3 fatty acids remaining in the finished product was inversely proportional to the intensity of processing. The findings explain why children who consume the unprocessed product are less likely to develop asthma.

Tabea Brick, a member of the research team at Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat Munchen, said: "The effect can be partly explained by the higher overall fat content and the higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids found in farm milk."

Omega-3 fatty acids are essential for human health, but cannot be synthesised in the human body and must therefore be obtained from dietary sources.

However, it was noted that untreated milk can often contain pathogenic micro-organisms, meaning milder methods of milk processing that ensure the retention of beneficial components present in raw milk may be needed.