GOT GOAT'S MILK?
What does goat's milk give you that
cow's milk doesn't? In many parts of the world, goat's milk is
preferred to cow's milk. Even in the United States, the goat is
gaining popularity. Goats eat less and occupy less grazing space
than cows, and in some families the backyard goat supplies milk
for family needs. Goat's milk is believed to be more easily
digestible and less allergenic than cow's milk. Does it deserve
this reputation? Let's disassemble goat's milk,
nutrient-by-nutrient, to see how it compares with cow's milk.
Different fat. Goat's milk contains around
ten grams of fat per eight ounces compared to 8 to 9 grams in
whole cow's milk, and it's much easier to find lowfat and
non-fat varieties of cow's milk than it is to purchase lowfat
goat's milk. Unlike cow's milk, goat's milk does not contain
agglutinin. As a result, the fat globules in goat's milk do not
cluster together, making them easier to digest. Like cow's milk,
goat's milk is low in essential fatty acids, because goats also
have EFA-destroying bacteria in their ruminant stomachs. Yet,
goat milk is reported to contain more of the essential fatty
acids linoleic and arachnodonic acids, in addition to a higher
proportion of short-chain and medium-chain fatty acids. These
are easier for intestinal enzymes to digest.
Different protein. Goat milk protein forms a
softer curd (the term given to the protein clumps that are
formed by the action of your stomach acid on the protein), which
makes the protein more easily and rapidly digestible.
Theoretically, this more rapid transit through the stomach could
be an advantage to infants and children who regurgitate cow's
milk easily. Goat's milk may also have advantages when it comes
to allergies. Goat's milk contains only trace amounts of an
allergenic casein protein, alpha-S1, found in cow's milk. Goat's
milk casein is more similar to human milk, yet cow's milk and
goat's milk contain similar levels of the other allergenic
protein, beta lactoglobulin. Scientific studies have not found a
decreased incidence of allergy with goat's milk, but here is
another situation where mothers' observations and scientific
studies are at odds with one another. Some mothers are certain
that their child tolerates goat's milk better than cow's milk,
and mothers are more sensitive to children's reactions than
scientific studies.
Less lactose. Goat's milk contains slightly
lower levels of lactose (4.1 percent versus 4.7 percent in cow's
milk), which may be a small advantage in lactose-intolerant
persons.
Different minerals. Although the mineral
content of goat's milk and cow's milk is generally similar,
goat's milk contains 13 percent more calcium, 25 percent more
vitamin B-6, 47 percent more vitamin A, 134 percent more
potassium, and three times more niacin. It is also four times
higher in copper. Goat's milk also contains 27 percent more of
the antioxidant selenium than cow's milk. Cow's milk contains
five times as much vitamin B-12 as goat's milk and ten times as
much folic acid (12 mcg. in cow's milk versus 1 mcg. for goat's
milk per eight ounces with an RDA of 75-100 mcg. for children).
The fact that goat's milk contains less than ten percent of the
amount of folic acid contained in cow's milk means that it must
be supplemented with folic acid in order to be adequate as a
formula or milk substitute for infants and toddlers, and popular
brands of goat's milk may advertise "supplemented with folic
acid" on the carton.
William Sears, MD and Martha
Sears, RN
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