Goat Milk as a Healthy Alternative
For Children and Adults with Lactose Intollerance

When I was a kid growing up, I was an avid milk drinker! I didn't care if it was whole milk, 2%, from a cow or goat. For my brother Vance, it was a different story.

Like so many children, Vance was born with a severe allergy to milk which prevented him from digesting breast milk, cow milk, and infant formula derived from cow milk and soy. What do you feed a baby that can't digest milk?

Vance was born at 11 months gestation. He was supposed to be due in December, but was not born until February 1st, 1967. Due to physician negligence, my mother had been medicated to prevent her from going into labor. When the 11th month came along, complications developed and my brother was delivered via c-section in an emergency surgery.

Fearful that he might be brain damaged, Vance was kept in the hospital for observation. My mother's original plan was to breast feed him, but every time Vance was nursed he would promptly throw it back up. At first the nursing staff felt that perhaps he was choking on the milk because it was coming out too fast. He was then after fed with a bottle.

When Vance was born, he was already supposed to be 2 months old. He was able to roll over and lift himself up to the amusement of the hospital staff. He needed to be fed often to maintain his strength, but became very ill from the constant throwing up following his bottles.

Desperate to find something that he could hold down, my mother opted to try feeding Vance goat milk. He was able to digest and hold down the goat milk, and from that point forward, he was raised on it. The first goat milk he drank came from a natural health food store in California. We then moved to our first farm where we had our own milking goat. My mother insists that " the goat milk is what saved Vance's life."

While researching this article, I found that there are conflicting reports regarding the use of goat milk with babies and children. The information I found on some health food websites contained incorrect data which would probably detract someone from trying it if they didn't research beyond those websites. This is why it is so important for people who raise dairy goats to become advocates of the benefits of goat milk and promote its use.

A commonly used term relating to the inability to digest milk is lactose intollerance. Lactose intollerance is a condition where there the individual is not able to digest lactose which is a type of sugar compound within the milk. Some people are born with this intollerance, while others may develop the lactose sensitivity later in life.

All milk contains lactose, but goat milk has a smaller percentage than other milks. This provides a healthy alternative for lactose intollerant people. They are able to digest the milk without the side effects found from drinking cow milk.

Some people may not have lactose intollerance at all. Instead they may have a sensitivity or allergy to the protein alpha S1 casein. Alpha S1 casein is a protein found in cow milk but it isn't the same as in goat milk.

When comparing cow and goat milk, you will find that there are similar properties to both milks. Flavor and consistency are two similarities easily noted. After analysis of the goat milk, it was found to have less lactose than cow milk, higher percentages of natural Vitamin A, and B., higher percentages of minerals and essential fat content. Goat milk is also higher in magnesium, phosphorus, potassium and calcium.

Goat milk is fresh and does not contain a growth hormone which is known to be used in cow milk.

The main reason for goat milk to be the milk of choice is digestibility. Goat milk is easier to digest because of smaller fat and protein molecules as well as the size of the milks casein curd. In goat milk, the fat globule is 1 1 /2 microns and in cow milk the fat globule is 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 microns in size. Because the goat milk curd is smaller, the milk passes through the stomach and onto the colon without leaving a residue which will ferment. The smaller the casein curd is, the easier it is for humans to process through digestion.

In 2003, a New Zealand scientist named Dr. Colin Prosser discovered that goat milk has a different casein protein than that of cow milk. The profile for the goat milk closely resembled that of human milk. His research found that there was a better digestion rate in goat milk of a specific protein known as "beta-lactoglobulin" which is one of the causes of milk allergies. Dr. Prosser's findings support the theory that goat milk is better digested than cow milk.

Goat Milk does not contain agglutinin. This prevents the fat molecules in the milk from clustering, which in turn helps digestion and absorption.

The higher percentage of calcium contained in goat milk is an excellent source of dietary calcium which is essential in the prevention of osteoperosis, high blood pressure, and other bone ailments. Goat milk is also good source of calcium for menopausal women.

Goat milk is a nutritious option for people regardless of their age, or lifestyle.
There are more people in the world that drink the milk from a goat than any other mammal. Goats were one of the first animals domesticated by man, and therefore their contribution both nutritionally and economically has been invaluable.

Comparison of Cow and Goat Milk
Chart: http://www.adga.com/compare.htm

References:

American Dairy Goat Association Website
http://www.adga.org

Goat Milk Versus Cow Milk
USDA Goat Handbook
GFW Haenlien

AgResearch Press Release
09/10/03

Goat Management
Why Goat Milk
G.F.W. Haenlien

Website References:

American Dairy Goat Association

American Goat Society
http://www.AmericanGoatSociety.com

Fiasco Farm
http://fiascofarm.com/dairy/rawmilk.htm

This website is an excellent source for goat
husbandry.

Real Milk
http://www.realmilk.com

To learn more about the state regulations for
buying and selling raw milk in your state, this
website is the place to start.

© Danielle Westvang
Published in the Dairy Goat Journal