Unpasteurised milk

[Copper]

I have just read an article which says that unpasteurised milk contains the enzyme lactase. Pasteurisation involves heating the milk to a high temperature to kill bacteria and viruses, this would denature the enzyme ie stop it working.

I am not suggesting that anybody drinks unpasteurised milk as I am sure it would make you ill for other reasons.

[rebecca c]

You can buy it in some places still. It would explain how with have managed to evolve with lactose intolerence still intact as pasteurisation is such as recent thing but we have been drinking milk for thousands of years.

[cnc]

That's interesting. Apparently it can be fine to drink, but only if drunk immediately after it's milked or something along those lines (it's late, I can't quite remember what I was told about it!!)
Does that mean that most lactose intolerant babies should be ok with breast milk then, as I thought that was unpasteurised as well?

[Copper]

Hmm my eldest was breast fed and screamed for the first 10 weeks of her life. I now realise that she had lactose intolerance. I was still eating cheese at the time as I could still tolerate a fair amount of lactose in my diet then.