Health
Amid bird flu spread, experts reveal if it's safe to drink milk: 'Indirect concern'
CDC issues alert over bird flu case
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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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Eating processed meat like ham, sausage and bacon may be linked to a higher risk of certain types of cancer, according to new research.
While health organizations have already confirmed that processed meat can contribute to colon cancer, this study looked closer at cancers in the upper digestive tract, where the link has historically been less clear.
To understand these connections, researchers from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC), one of the world’s largest long-term nutrition and cancer cohorts, tracked the health and diets of 450,112 people across Europe for an average of 14 years.
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The study group included 131,426 men and 318,686 women, according to the study’s press release.
During the follow-up period, 876 people developed stomach cancer and 215 people developed esophageal adenocarcinoma, which is cancer of the tube connecting the mouth to the stomach.
For female participants, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk of developing the disease. (iStock)
Researchers tracked where the stomach cancers grew, separating them into the upper part of the stomach near the throat and the lower part of the stomach.
The researchers also sorted the tumors into two categories based on how the cancer cells appeared under a microscope: intestinal, which forms more organized structures, and diffuse, in which the cells are more scattered throughout the tissue.
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After adjusting for other lifestyle factors, the researchers found that for every extra 30 grams of processed meat a person ate per day, their overall risk of stomach cancer went up by 9%. Eating that same extra 30 grams a day was also linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma.
A standard single slice of regular deli-sliced ham or lunch meat averages around 28 grams, according to USDA data and nutritional tracking databases.
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken and turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach. (iStock)
An extra 20 grams of white meat, such as chicken or turkey, was linked to a 12% higher risk of cancer in the main body of the stomach, the researchers noted.
The study also revealed differences between men and women. For male participants, only processed meat showed a clear, statistically significant link to a higher risk of stomach cancer. For female participants, however, eating both processed meat and white meat was linked to an increased risk.
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These findings align with global health benchmarks, particularly those established by the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer.
The agency has long classified processed meat as a known human carcinogen, primarily due to its strong, well-documented links to colorectal cancer.
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However, health organizations have also consistently pointed to a potential, yet less definitive, relationship between these meats and cancers of the stomach.
Eating 30 grams of processed meat a day, or the equivalent to one slice of ham, was linked to a 13% higher risk of esophageal adenocarcinoma. (iStock)
Further scientific investigation is needed to confirm the findings and to account for other underlying risk factors, such as certain stomach infections, which could interact with dietary habits.
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A key limitation of the study is its reliance on self-reported diets, which can sometimes lead to inaccuracies in how participants recall their meat consumption over time, the researchers noted.
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The findings were published in the International Journal of Cancer.
Fox News Digital reached out to the researchers requesting comment.
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Yoga is known to boost relaxation, strength and flexibility – and now a new study has found the practice could improve cancer survivors’ quality of life.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances after cancer treatment.
The findings were presented last week at the 2026 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting in Chicago.
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The study was conducted across multiple U.S. community cancer care sites, including 410 adult cancer survivors averaging 54 years of age. Around 75% were breast cancer survivors, and none of them had practiced yoga regularly within the prior three months.
A randomized trial led by the University of Rochester Medical Center found that a four-week yoga program significantly reduced insomnia, fatigue, anxiety and mood disturbances in cancer survivors. (iStock)
The participants were randomly assigned to two groups. Half of them received only standard survivorship care without the yoga, while the other half received standard care and were also enrolled in the Yoga for Cancer Survivors (YOCAS) program.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training.
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Based on questionnaires completed by the patients, the survivors in the yoga group experienced “moderate-to-large” reductions in overall mood disturbance, “small-to-medium” reductions in anxiety and “medium-to-large” reductions in fatigue, the study found.
The improvements in mood and fatigue appeared to be linked to yoga’s beneficial effect on sleep quality, according to the researchers.
As part of the YOCAS program, the survivors completed two instructor-led 75-minute yoga sessions each week, including 18 Gentle Hatha yoga and Restorative yoga poses, breathing exercises and mindfulness training. (iStock)
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug,” lead investigator Yuri Choi, PhD, of the Wilmot Cancer Institute, University of Rochester Medical Center, in Rochester, New York, told Fox News Digital.
The study did not reveal any major safety concerns or serious adverse events related to the yoga practice.
“This indicates that cancer survivors have an option to alleviate these cancer-related side effects at the same time, without adding another drug.”
The study did have some limitations, chiefly that the findings are preliminary and have not yet been peer-reviewed for a medical publication.
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“The sample in our clinical trial was relatively homogeneous, with most participants being women (96%), breast cancer patients (75%), Caucasian (93%), and having some college or higher education (82%),” noted Choi.
“We are adapting our intervention to reach all cancer patients and survivors, including the creation of a mobile app to reach people in rural communities.”
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The research also excluded patients with metastatic cancer (whose disease had spread to other parts of the body).
The total study was only four weeks, so more research is needed to determine long-term benefits.
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted. (iStock)
If the findings are confirmed by peer-reviewed publications, this could lead to recommendations for structured yoga programs as a non-drug supportive therapy for cancer survivors, the researchers noted.
Some yoga studios may use different names for Gentle Hatha and Restorative yoga, such as Foundations Yoga or Healing Yoga, Choi noted.
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“Survivors should also look for certified yoga instructors who have experience working with cancer patients/survivors or individuals with other challenging health conditions,” the researcher advised. “They should not be afraid to ask their oncology team for referrals to qualified instructors in their community.”
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Choi also noted that the research did not reveal whether other types of yoga, such as heated-room or rigorous-flow yoga, are safe or beneficial for cancer survivors.
The study was funded by the National Cancer Institute.
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