What Are the Benefits of Goat Milk for Infants?
For babies over a year old who are unable to tolerate standard infant formulas or cow’s milk, goat’s milk may offer a healthy alternative. Pediatricians sometimes recommend goat’s milk for infants who develop allergies to soy milk or hypoallergenic formulas, according to Dr. William Sears on his website, askdrsears.com. Infants taking goat’s milk should also take vitamin and mineral supplements to complement all the benefits that goat's milk provides, notes the World's Healthiest Foods website.
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Less Lactose
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Goat’s milk is easier for lactose-intolerant babies to digest because it contains measurably less lactose than cow’s milk: about 4.1 percent lactose compared to 4.7 percent in cow's milk, notes askdrsears.com. Parents should note that goat’s milk is not lactose-free, so infants who are particularly sensitive to lactose may still be unable to tolerate goat’s milk, according to worldshealthiestfoods.org.
Easily Digestible Fat
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Cow’s milk is made up of larger fatty acids, and as a consequence, it is harder for infants to digest it. The fatty acids in milk form molecular chains, according to crohns.net, and the chains are quite long in cow’s milk. The fatty acids in goat’s milk are smaller, allowing the enzymes in the intestine to break them down more quickly and digest them, notes ontariogoatmilk.org.
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Fewer Allergens
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When compared to cow’s milk, goat’s milk contains very little of the allergenic protein alpha-S1 casein, according to askdrsears.com. Infants who demonstrate an intolerance to the allergenic casein protein may benefit from goat’s milk, although according to worldshealthiestfoods.org, more studies are needed to determine exactly how casein levels in both cow's milk and the lack of casein in goat's milk affect the body.
Softer Curds
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When milk encounters stomach acid, it forms protein clumps, or curds, before the stomach acid can start to break it down. Cow’s milk forms larger and harder curds than goat’s milk, making it more difficult for an infant to digest, according to crohns.net. With goat’s milk, the softer curd passes more quickly through the digestive system, notes ontariogoatmilk.org. Infants with gastroesophageal reflux often find relief when switched from cow’s milk to goat’s milk, notes Dr. Sears in an article from parenting.org.
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References
- Photo Credit goat image by L. Shat from Fotolia.com
