Many people ask, “What are the health benefits of goat’s milk compared to cow’s?” In many parts of the world, goat’s milk is preferred over cow’s. Even in the United States goats are gaining popularity. Goats eat less and take up less space, they do not need large pastures, and a goat can completely provide milk for the average family. Goat’s milk is considered more easily digestible and less allergenic than cow’s milk. Let’s see why goat’s milk has earned a good reputation. Let’s compare these two types of milk in terms of nutrient content.
Fats. Goat’s milk contains about ten grams of fat per glass compared to 8 to 9 grams in whole cow’s milk. It is much easier to find low-fat cow’s milk than it is to buy low-fat goat’s milk. Unlike cow’s milk, goat’s milk does not contain agglutinins. As a result, the fat globules in goat milk don’t stick together, making it easier to digest. Like cow’s milk, goat’s milk is low in essential fatty acids. However, goat milk is reported to contain more of the essential fatty acids linoleic and arachidonic, in addition to a higher proportion of unsaturated and medium fatty acids. They are easier to digest by intestinal enzymes.
Squirrels. Goat milk proteins under the action of gastric acid form a soft curd clot, as a result of which the proteins are easier and faster to digest. Theoretically, this faster transit through the stomach could be an advantage for infants and children who cannot accept cow’s milk. Goat milk may also have benefits when it comes to allergies. It contains only trace amounts of the allergenic protein alpha-S1-casein, which is present in cow’s milk. Goat milk is more similar to human milk, but both cow and goat milk contain similar levels of the allergenic protein beta-lactoglobulin. Scientific studies have not found a reduction in the incidence of allergies when infants are fed goat’s milk. But in practice, observations of mothers and data from scientific studies contradict each other. Some mothers believe that their child tolerates goat’s milk better. It seems that mothers are more objective about the reaction of children than scientific research.
Lactose. Goat milk contains slightly less lactose (4.1% versus 4.7% in cow’s milk). This argument can be important for people with lactose intolerance.
Minerals. Although the mineral content of goat and cow milk is generally similar, goat milk contains 13% more calcium, 25% more vitamin B-6, 47% more vitamin A, 134% more potassium, and three times more niacin. In addition, goat’s milk contains four times more copper. Goat’s milk also contains 27% more of the antioxidant selenium than cow’s milk.
Vitamins. Cow’s milk contains five times more vitamin B-12 than goat’s milk and ten times more folic acid – 12 micrograms in cow’s milk compared to 1 microgram in goat’s. The daily requirement of folic acid for children is 75-100 micrograms. Many popular brands of breast milk substitutes and powdered goat milk formulas for infants and toddlers fortify them with folic acid. On the packaging of such a product there is a note: “Enriched with folic acid.”