US FDA/CFSAN - On The Safety of Raw Milk
(with a word about pasteurization)
May 12, 2005
More on XO
- Another myth : "Homogenization alters XO by making it smaller (somehow). The XO can then access the bloodstream to interact with arterial walls, triggering the deposition of cholesterol and causing atherosclerosis."
- In 1971, Oster postulated that individuals who drink homogenized milk are prone to atherosclerosis because XO causes a depletion of plasmalogen in cell membranes.
- Additional research and epidemiological studies, including one by the American Heart Association, led to the conclusion twenty years ago that XO was not associated with atherosclerosis.
- Homogenization is simply a process whereby a relatively uniform globule size is mechanically imparted to the fat phase in milk.