It should be noted that a change from cows milk to goats milk will benefit those who are unable to digest the protein and fats in cows milk, but it will not necessarily help people who suffer from a lactose intolerance.

The Natural Alternative

For generations now, cows have been regarded as the major source of milk in our diets, not only in the liquid form, but in the multitude of other foodstuffs containing milk or its by-products.

However, with increasing evidence, studies show that as many as 7.5% of all babies born develop a hypersensitivity to cows milk generally known as Cows Milk Allergy (CMA). Although CMA is more easily detected in young babies (before weaning) it is not confined to this age group. Many children do not grow out of their allergies and are therefore afflicted all their lives. For a large number of adults everyday problems relating to skin disorders, respiratory problems, gastric upsets and migraine are generally not considered to be related to cows milk but are later diagnosed to be symptoms of CMA.

As a result, alternative sources of milk must be found - thus the increasing interest in and demand for goats milk and related products.

The Symptoms of CMAThe most common symptoms evident in babies suffering from CMA are:(i)

(1) Eczema; (2) Recurrent diarrhea; (3) Recurrent rhinorrhea; (4) Repeated vomiting;

(5) Persistent colic; (6) Recurrent bronchitis; (7) Asthma.

Studies have proven that when all sources of cows milk are removed from the diet of babies suffering CMA the symptom(s) are relieved. Further tests have also shown that twenty per cent (20%) of babies suffering from CMA are also allergic to soya milk replacement formulae. Although it is evident that many children outgrow their allergies, it is not yet certain which children will and at what time.

Other infant problems listed (i) as being possibly related to cows milk include:

(1) Croup; (2) Sudden cot death;

(3) Recurrent abdominal pain syndrome; (4) Hyperactivity syndrome.

 

Common symptoms faced by adults with CMA are: (ii) (1) Rashes and eczema; (2) Diarrhea and vomiting; (3) Respiratory problems; (4) Migraine; (5) Asthma.

Why Goats Milk?Evidence (ii) has shown that as many as 99% of all CMA sufferers are able to thrive on goats milk. It is thought that food allergies including CMA are directly related to the speed and efficiency of the digestive process and the absorption or not of undigested proteins (iii).

The fat and protein globules of goats milk are smaller, finer, and more evenly distributed through the mllk, resulting in a more rapid and complete breakdown by the human digestive enzymes. The tension in the curd of goats milk is only about one-third of that of cows milk.

During digestion the casein forms a less tough and more friable coagulum than the cows milk casein thus enabling the digestive proteolytic enzyme to penetrate and break it down more easily.(iii)

It has been recognised that boiling milk may reduce the less severe allergy problems and powdered goats milk with its inherent heat treatment offers the allergy sufferer the least problems of all. (iii)

Higher levels of vitamin B and the mild laxative action of goats milk also aid the digestive process, relieving stress symptoms manifest as neurotic indigestion, constipation and insomnia.(ii)

The high buffering quality of goats milk is due to its superior mineral content and enhances its value for sufferers of peptic ulcers and other such gastric complaints. (iii)

The vitamin and mineral content of goats milk compares favorably with both cows milk and human milk (see table), being closer in composition to human milk than cows milk. In fact it is also significantly higher in the growth related vitamin riboflavin and the bone minerals calcium and phosphorus.

Infants' DietsAlthough the superiority of breast feeding of babies is not challenged and or course is to be encouraged, it is also accepted that for a variety of reasons it is not always adopted.

The appeal in using goats milk as a substitute for cows milk in infants' diets. comes predominantly from the likely reduction in allergenic reaction to undigested milk proteins. Goats milk is a suitable substitute for cows milk in any standard infant formula, in fact it is fair to say that goats milk "humanises" relatively well. If cows milk is diluted to bring the protein concentration more in line with human milk the fat content must be increased to indigestible levels. Goats milk on the other hand, with its higher fat content and lower protein levels, requires no such additives.

Both goats and cows milk have deficiencies in iron, linoleic acid, folic acid and vitamin C when compared with human milk. (Note that humans differ from most animals in that they are not able to synthesize vitamin C). If goats milk is to be the only source of nutrition i.e. it is not being added to an existing formula, these deficiencies can be made up by the addition of egg yolk or cod liver oil, maize oil, synthetic folic acid and orange juice or ascorbic acid respectively. Both goats and cows milk also have lower levels of milk sugar (lactose) than human milk. The calorific value of the milk can thus be increased by addition of lactose. All milks, human included, are considered deficient in D and again this can be overcome by the addition of this vitamin.

Babies being bottle fed from birth are best started on goats milk for the first six to eight weeks, thus preventing a build up of sensitivity to milk protein. After eight weeks the digestive system is probably better able to cope with the tougher cows milk curd and a change to cows milk may well be effected.

Where babies are fed on cows milk based diets it is generally two to three weeks before sensitivity to the milk develops. If this occurs, a change to goats milk at any time between two weeks and four months will potentially ease the situation. From four to a six months of age the majority of babies lose their sensitivity to cows milk and if this does occur the baby may be returned to a cows milk diet.

Some babies, of course, never lose their symptoms and may require cows milk free diets until at least two years of age or older.

Adult DietsAs with infant diets the value of goats milk lies in the direct replacement of cows milk in the adult diet and thus the reduction in allergenic reaction to the cows milk protein.

Results of the use of goats milk in the treatment of food related allergies are to an extent unpredictable as persons suffering from food related allergies after weaning age are likely to be sensitive to more than one food. Replacing cows milk with goats milk does however remove one of the most common allergens and improves the efficiency of digestion.

Also of value are the excellent buffering effects and mild laxative action of goat milk which are important in the treatment of peptic ulcers and other gastric complaints such as constipation and indigestion.

Because of the lower lactose levels in goats milk 180 mls of goats milk can be substituted for 150 mls of cows milk in diabetic diets.

Despite a widespread absence of infrastructural organization for goat milk in the USA, more commercial successes with goat milk marketing are becoming known in recent years (Loewenstein et al., 1980; Kapture, 1982; Haenlein, 1985; Pinkerton, 1991; Hankin, 1992; Jackson, 1992). Also, significant new research station efforts in Texas, California, Oklahoma, Georgia, Alabama, Florida, Pennsylvania, Louisiana have been advancing new knowledge of goat milk production on the farm, and of the physiology, biochemistry and veterinary aspects of the animal in recent years. Besides that, a new scientific journal Small Ruminant Research has become established by the International Goat Association initially quarterly but now on a monthly basis and with broad international support since 1998.

Volumes of new scientific data presented at four major, quintannual, international goat conferences have become widely circulated. Thus, it is high time to include in these developments the sanitarians, for establishing quality standards, and the medical profession, for evidence on the medical benefits and values in human nutrition of goat milk.

Medical Research Evidence for Goat MilkPowerful justification for goat milk can come from medical needs - not just desires - of people, especially infants, afflicted with various ailments, including cow milk protein sensitivities. Swedish studies have shown that cow milk was a major cause of colic, sometimes fatal, in 12 - 30 % formula-fed, less than 3-month old infants (Lothe et al., 1982). In breastfed infants, colic was related to the mother's consumption of cow milk (Baldo, 1984; Cant et al., 1985; Host et al., 1988). In older infants, the incidence of cow milk protein intolerance was approximately 20 % (Nestle, 1987).

A popular therapy among pediatricians is the change to vegetable protein soy-based formula, however an estimated 20 - 50 % of all infants with cow milk protein intolerance will also react adversely to soy proteins (Lothe et al., 1982). Approximately 40% of all patients sensitive to cow milk proteins tolerate goat milk proteins (Brenneman, 1978; Zeman, 1982), possibly because lactalbumin is immunospecific between species (Hill, 1939). 

Biochemical Differences Between Goat Milk and Cow MilkGoat milk proteins have many significant differences in their amino acid compositions from the milk of other mammalian species, especially in relative proportions of the various milk proteins and in their genetic polymorphisms (Jenness, 1980; Boulanger et al., 1984; Addeo et al., 1988; Ambrosoli et al., 1988). The major protein in cow milk is alpha-s-i-casein, but goat milk may differ genetically by having either none ("Null" type) or much ("High" type). Null types have shorter rennet coagulation time, less resistance to heat treatment, curd firmness is weaker, pH is higher, protein and mineral contents in milk are lower, and cheese yields are less than in high types. This in turn indicates and may explain significant differences to cow milk in digestion by infants and patients (Mack, 1953), which traditionally have been explained by the "homogenized" nature of goat milk fat.

Actually, the composition of goat milk fat may be much more important than the prevalence of large numbers of small fat globules, because it too differs significantly from the composition of cow milk fat under average feeding conditions (Haenlein, 1992). The various components of milk fat, fatty acids, differ in carbon chain length and saturation, which has nutritional and medical significance. Goat milk fat normally has 35 % of medium chain fatty acids (C6 - C14) compared to cow milk fat 17 %, and three are named after goats: caproic (C6), caprylic (C8), capric (ClO), totalling 15 % in goat milk fat versus only 5 % in cow milk fat. Besides their unique flavor, which has serious consequences in improper handling of goat milk, these medium chain fatty acids (MCT) have become of considerable interest to the medical profession, because of their unique benefits in many metabolic diseases of humans (Babayan, 1981).

Capric, caprylic and other MCT have been used for treatment of malabsorption syndromes, intestinal disorders, coronary diseases, premature infant nutrition, cystic fibrosis, gallstone problems, because of their unique metabolic abilities of providing energy and at the same time lowering, inhibiting and dissolving cholesterol deposits (Schwabe et al., 1964; Greenberger and Skillman, 1969; Kalser, 1971; Tantibhedhyangklil and Hashim, 1975, 1978).

It seems apparent that in this lipid area is great potential for identifying a unique importance and role for goat milk, specifically goat milk fat and probably goat milk butter, which has not received much attention at all. And all this adds even more importance to the establishment of acceptable practices and standards for quality goat milk production, which so far has been lagging behind those for dairy cows, but which require separate establishment because of the many unique physiological and metabolic characteristics of goats compared to cows (Haenlein, 1980, 1987a, 1991; Hinckley, 1991; Kalogridou-Vassiliadou et al., 1992).