Health
Amid bird flu spread, experts reveal if it's safe to drink milk: 'Indirect concern'
CDC issues alert over bird flu case
Fox News medical contributor Dr. Marc Siegel on what to know about bird flu and why it is important to not look directly at the solar eclipse without proper glasses
Traces of bird flu have been detected in pasteurized milk — leaving many people wondering if it’s safe to drink.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) released a notice on Thursday stating that one in five retail samples of commercial milk tested positive for fragments of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), more commonly known as bird flu or avian flu.
The share of milk with viral remnants was higher in areas where herds of cattle had been infected.
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The presence of the virus in the milk doesn’t necessarily mean there is a risk to consumers, however, the FDA noted.
“Additional testing is required to determine whether an intact pathogen is still present and if it remains infectious, which would help inform a determination of whether there is any risk of illness associated with consuming the product,” the agency stated.
Traces of bird flu have been detected in pasteurized milk, leaving many people wondering if it’s safe to drink. (iStock)
“Although bird flu viruses do not normally infect humans, sporadic human infections have occurred,” the FDA stated in the alert.
Pasteurization eliminates risk, experts say
Before milk can be sold commercially, government regulations require that it is pasteurized.
During the pasteurization process, raw milk is heated to a certain temperature for a brief period of time and is then chilled again, according to the International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) website.
This process kills any pathogens and ensures that milk is safe to drink.
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Dr. Scott Pegan, professor of biomedical sciences at the University of California, Riverside and a biochemist for the United States Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense, said the FDA’s finding does not mean there is any direct risks to consumers.
“In the U.S., commercial intrastate sold milk is required to be pasteurized,” he told Fox News Digital. “This process is geared to kill viruses like H5N1 and other bacteria that can pose a threat to human health.”
A milk pasteurization system is shown at a food and drink exhibition. Pasteurization is a process that kills microbes in food and drink, such as milk, juice, canned food and others. (iStock)
“Milk that has been pasteurized is safe and there is no current reason to avoid it or other pasteurized milk products based on the FDA’s findings,” Pegan went on.
“However, there is a substantial risk of consuming unpasteurized milk and products of that milk.”
Even after viruses and bacteria have been killed in pasteurized milk, remnants can remain in the milk, he said — but they are not dangerous.
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Edward Liu, M.D., chief of infectious diseases at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center in New Jersey, agreed that there is not a risk associated with drinking pasteurized milk.
“The pasteurization is the key — the heat treatment kills off the viruses,” he told Fox News Digital. “Although the FDA’s testing picked up fragments [of the virus], the heating process destroyed it, so it’s not able to infect people.”
The share of milk with viral remnants was higher in areas where herds of cattle had been infected. (iStock)
The fragments alone are not enough to cause any kind of infection, he confirmed.
“I think the key word is ‘fragments.’ Just like with COVID, if you do a PCR test a month later, we’ll detect little fragments of the virus, but it’s not active anymore,” Liu said.
“So if the virus isn’t entirely intact, it shouldn’t be able to infect you.”
Any sporadic cases of human infection would likely occur when a farmer is handling birds directly, Liu said.
Consumers should avoid drinking raw milk that has not been pasteurized, the FDA said.
“There are some people who like to go all natural, but pasteurization has been used for decades for safety,” he said. “Some degree of processing is actually better and safer for us.”
Animals pose greater concern, experts say
The “indirect concern” within the scientific and medical community involves the increased risk of “spillover” to humans from animals with the H5N1 virus, said Pegan.
“Prior to the outbreak in dairy cattle, this concern principally revolved around the risk of transmission to humans from wild birds or poultry,” he told Fox News Digital.
The “indirect concern” within the scientific and medical community involves the increased risk of “spillover” to humans from animals with the H5N1 virus, one expert said. (REUTERS/Dado Ruvic/Illustration/File Photo)
“The presence of H5N1 avian flu in the milk of these cattle shows that cattle may be able to provide a new reservoir for this virus, increasing the odds of exposure to those in direct contact with the infected cattle.”
The more animals that are infected, the higher chance that humans may come in direct contact with the virus — which likely would lead to a greater number of human cases, said Pegan.
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“The case of cattle-to-human transmission seen in Texas is in line with this concern,” he noted.
“Also, the more mammals infected increases the chances that the virus will adapt to other mammals, such as humans.”
FDA’s recommendations
The FDA restated its “long-standing recommendation” that consumers avoid drinking raw milk that has not been pasteurized.
The agency also recommends that companies refrain from manufacturing or selling raw milk or raw milk products made with milk from cows that tested positive for bird flu, were exposed to the virus or showed symptoms of illness.
“Over the past few years, there has been an increased consumer demand for these unpasteurized products,” Pegan said.
The FDA restated its “long-standing recommendation” that consumers avoid drinking raw milk that has not been pasteurized. (iStock)
“While not allowed to be sold via interstate brands, some states have relaxed local sales of these products at farmer’s markets and similar outlets,” he said.
“Individuals may want to avoid those unpasteurized products until more information is obtained about this H5N1 avian flu outbreak in dairy cattle.”
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The FDA also urged producers to “take precautions” when discarding milk from affected cows, “so that the discarded milk does not become a source of further spread.”
So far, only one person has been confirmed to have contracted the virus after exposure to infected cows, the FDA stated.
“The CDC says the risk to the general public remains low,” the agency said.
“The FDA and USDA continue to indicate that, based on the information we currently have, our commercial milk supply is safe.”
Fox News Digital reached out to the National Milk Producers Federation, the American Dairy Association and the International Dairy Foods Association for comment.
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A new report by the American Heart Association (AHA) included some troubling predictions for the future of women’s health.
The forecast, published in the journal Circulation on Wednesday, projected increases in various comorbidities in American females by 2050.
More than 59% of women were predicted to have high blood pressure, up from less than 49% currently.
The review also projected that more than 25% of women will have diabetes, compared to about 15% today, and more than 61% will have obesity, compared to 44% currently.
As a result of these risk factors, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7%.
The prevalence of cardiovascular disease and stroke in women is expected to rise to 14.4% from 10.7% by 2050. (iStock)
Not all trends were negative, as unhealthy cholesterol prevalence is expected to drop to about 22% from more than 42% today, the report stated.
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Dr. Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods in Minnesota, commented on these “jarring findings.”
“The fact that on our current trajectory, cardiometabolic disease is projected to explode in women within one generation should be a huge wake-up call,” she told Fox News Digital.
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“Hypertension, diabetes, obesity — these are all major risk factors for heart disease, and we are already seeing what those risks are driving. Heart disease is the No. 1 killer of women, eclipsing all other causes of death, including breast cancer.”
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S. and around the world. (iStock)
Klodas warned that heart disease starts early, progresses “stealthily,” and can present “out of the blue in devastating ways.”
The AHA published another study on Thursday revealing one million hospitalizations, showing that heart attack deaths are climbing among adults below the age of 55.
The more alarming finding, according to Klodas, is that young women were found more likely to die after their first heart attack than men of the same age.
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“This is all especially tragic since heart disease is almost entirely preventable,” she said. “The earlier you start, the better.”
Children can show early evidence of plaque deposition in their arteries, which can be reversed through lifestyle changes if “undertaken early enough and aggressively enough,” according to the expert.
Moving more is one part of protecting a healthy heart, according to experts. (iStock)
Klodas suggested that rising heart conditions are associated with traditional risk factors, like smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, obesity and a sedentary lifestyle.
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Doctors are also seeing higher rates of preeclampsia, or high blood pressure during pregnancy, as well as gestational diabetes. Klodas noted that these are sex-specific risk factors that don’t typically contribute to complications until after menopause.
The best way to protect a healthy heart is to “do the basics,” Klodas recommended, including the following lifestyle habits.
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Klodas especially emphasized making improvements to diet, as the food people eat affects “every single risk factor that the AHA’s report highlights.”
“High blood pressure, high blood sugar, high cholesterol, excess weight – these are all conditions that are driven in part or in whole by food,” she said. “We eat multiple times every single day, which means what we eat has profound cumulative effects over time.”
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health,” a doctor said. (iStock)
“Even a small improvement in dietary intake, when maintained, can have a massive positive impact on health.”
The doctor also recommends changing out a few snacks per day for healthier choices, which has been proven to “yield medication-level cholesterol reductions” in a month.
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“Keep up that small change and, over the course of a year, you could also lose 20 pounds and reduce your sodium intake enough to avoid blood pressure-lowering medications,” Klodas added.
“Women should not view the AHA report as inevitable. We have power over our health destinies. We just need to use it.”
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Nearsightedness (myopia) is skyrocketing globally, with nearly half of the world’s population expected to be myopic by 2050, according to the World Health Organization.
Heavy use of smartphones and other devices is associated with an 80% higher risk of myopia when combined with excessive computer use, but a new study suggests that dim indoor lighting could also be a factor.
For years, scientists have been puzzled by the different ways myopia is triggered. In lab settings, it can be induced by blurring vision or using different lenses. Conversely, it can be slowed by something as simple as spending time outdoors, research suggests.
Nearsightedness occurs when the eyeball grows too long from front to back, according to the American Optometric Association (AOA). This physical elongation causes light to focus in front of the retina rather than directly on it, making distant objects appear blurry.
The study suggests that myopia isn’t caused by the digital devices themselves, but by the low-light environments where they are typically used. (iStock)
Researchers at the State University of New York (SUNY) College of Optometry identified a potential specific trigger for this growth. When someone looks at a phone or a book up close, the pupil naturally constricts.
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“In bright outdoor light, the pupil constricts to protect the eye while still allowing ample light to reach the retina,” Urusha Maharjan, a SUNY Optometry doctoral student who conducted the study, said in a press release.
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“When people focus on close objects indoors, such as phones, tablets or books, the pupil can also constrict — not because of brightness, but to sharpen the image,” she went on. “In dim lighting, this combination may significantly reduce retinal illumination.”
High-intensity natural light prevents myopia because it provides enough retinal stimulation to override the “stop growing” signal, even when pupils are constricted. (iStock)
The hypothesis suggests that when the retina is deprived of light during extended close-up work, it sends a signal for the eye to grow.
In a dim environment, the narrowed pupil allows so little light through that the retinal activity isn’t strong enough to signal the eye to stop growing, the researchers found.
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In contrast, being outdoors provides light levels much brighter than indoors. This ensures that even when the pupil narrows to focus on a nearby object, the retina still receives a strong signal, maintaining healthy eye development.
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The team noted some limitations of the study, including the small subject group and the inability to directly measure internal lens changes, as the bright backgrounds used to mimic the outdoors made pupils too small for standard equipment.
Researchers believe that increasing indoor brightness during close-up work could be a simple, testable way to slow the global nearsightedness epidemic. (iStock)
“This is not a final answer,” Jose-Manuel Alonso, MD, PhD, SUNY distinguished professor and senior author of the study, said in the release.
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“But the study offers a testable hypothesis that reframes how visual habits, lighting and eye focusing interact.”
The study was published in the journal Cell Reports.
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