GOAT MILK: 11 PROPERTIES FOR HEALTH - NUTRITION - 2025

The health properties of goat milk are various: it is rich in vitamins and minerals, provides healthy fatty acids, can prevent allergies and cancer, improves sexual health and others that we will explain below.

Goat milk is one of the most widely consumed worldwide but represents only 2% of all the milk sold on the planet. Although it has nutritional properties that cow's milk does not have, it is much less consumed.

Worldwide, its consumption is mainly in natural form (fluid milk), without applying any type of process (cooking, pasteurization or other) as we are used to with cow's milk.

The World Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) projects that the world demand or consumption of goat milk is over 250 million tons, whose production comes mainly from developing tropical countries, with poor sanitary measures, technological support and where 95% of the world's goat population lives.

Who are the main goat milk producers?

Historically, India has been the largest producer in total volume, with land suitable for grazing large numbers of goats, and with a mainly domestic consumption, whose production represents approximately 20% of the total worldwide. Other big producers are Bangladesh, Iran, Sudan, Pakistan and Greece.

Most of these countries are considered poor or developing, which is why an attempt has been made to target goat farming and dairy farming as a strategy to combat hunger and malnutrition that continues to affect millions of people, especially pregnant women and children.

Who can consume goat milk?

Even ignoring economic and feasibility reasons, this milk has very interesting nutritional qualities that make it suitable for consumption by children, adults, pregnant women, wet nurses and the elderly, among which its ability to reduce allergic reactions stands out.

We must consider that the composition of goat milk differs according to the genetic characteristics of each breed. These variants have a considerable influence on the digestion of this milk, in addition to the time when milking is done, the animal's diet, its health and its physiological state. All these variables have a direct effect on the macro and micro nutrients in milk.

Have you ever wondered what differences exist between cow's milk and goat's milk? Don't have a lot of background? In the next few paragraphs we will review some of the main distinctive nutritional properties of this product.

Health properties of goat milk

1- It is rich in vitamins

Breast milk is the "gold standard" when evaluating the quality of other milks for human consumption. In this sense, goat's milk obtains an outstanding rating because it contains practically the same amount of folic acid and only a little less of B complex vitamins. Furthermore, although its vitamin E intake is usually considered low, its supplementation is often enough.

On the other hand, we found poor results in ascorbic acid (vitamin C) and vitamin B12 content, even cow's milk contains five times more vitamin B12 than goat's milk.

However, goat's milk provides approximately twice as much vitamin A as cow's milk (2,074 international units per liter versus 1,560) and we can also add the fact that goat's milk is very rich in riboflavin, an important growth factor.

Therefore, adding and subtracting, it provides an interesting vitamin profile.

2- Alternative for lactose intolerant

Lactose is the natural sugar in milk. It is not bad, but under certain conditions and in certain susceptible individuals it can cause gastric discomfort. As for goat milk, its lactose content is low compared to milk from other animal species (approximately 1% to 13% less than cow's milk and up to 41% less than human milk).

For this reason, goat's milk can become a viable alternative if you suffer from lactose intolerance.

3- Mineral content

Cheese made with goat's milk

We know that milk is considered the main source of calcium through the diet for humans, regardless of the origin of this milk (goat, cow and others). Now, in favor of goat's milk, we find that it provides 13 to 15% more calcium than cow's milk.

However, goat's milk is a limited source of other minerals such as iron, copper, cobalt, and magnesium. For this reason, it has sometimes been linked to the development of anemia in children, but it is absolutely clear that with a varied, sufficient and balanced diet, such a condition should not be reached.

A practical fact is that with only 2 glasses of goat's milk a day, you can cover the daily calcium requirements of highly sensitive groups such as pregnant women and wet nurses or adolescents, while to achieve it with milk from cow you need to drink 3 glasses.

4- Provides friendly fatty acids to our body

The fat in this food is a great energy concentration, its triglycerides make up almost 95% of its total lipids and cholesterol 10%.

The quality of these fats differs from that of cow's milk, as for example the size of the fat globules is smaller, which has been associated with better digestibility. Goat milk should not cause consumer rejection due to any aroma, which is usually attributed to medium chain fatty acids, which is false.

Its fatty acid profile is being investigated even as an alternative treatment in cardiovascular diseases. Many times you have heard that cholesterol is bad, but in reality it all depends on the quantity and quality of the product, where goat's milk is no exception.

5- Good quality proteins and amino acids

Goat cheese

To start with, we must consider that, in general, proteins of vegetable origin are better than those of vegetable origin (they are considered of greater biological value), which is why goat's milk already has that important advantage.

Regarding the quality of its proteins, compared to cow's milk, it is currently said that the composition of the different fractions of goat's milk can differ greatly from it.

Recent studies affirm that goat protein may have a higher biological value than the vaccine. In this sense, and to give specific values, a higher apparent biological value has been obtained for goat's milk (90.9%) compared to cow's milk (90.4%).

6- It can prevent allergies

Many allergic children (about 40% of them) have an allergy to α-s-1 caseins and some type of β-casein, which is why they benefit from the ingestion of goat's milk, since the protein profile of goat's milk more closely resembles human than typical cow's milk. In the same way, goat β-lactoglobulin has shown to be much more assimilable than that of bovine origin.

It has been reported that around 40% of all patients sensitive to cow's milk proteins manage to tolerate goat's milk proteins, which is why it would be advisable to consume them so as not to lose the contribution of other critical nutrients such as calcium, without forgetting that the fundamental thing is to be advised by a specialist in the area.

7- It is easier to digest than other milks

Source: Teunie

The curdling time of goat's milk is considerably shorter compared to cow casein (stress values ​​of 36 in goat versus 52-78 in cows).

This is because a better digestibility of goat's milk is achieved, as it is the finest, softest, and most absorbable curd, as it experiences a shorter transit time at the gastric level, which occurs mostly in people with constipation problems..

How does a lower intestinal transit help us? Mainly in that it leaves less undigested waste that can fall prey to undesirable fermentations at the colon level and cause problems.

This consistency of the curd is not only characterized by high softness, but also the formation of the same occurs in less time and in a smaller size, avoiding the formation of lumps that are often difficult to digest.

8- It is not associated with exogenous hormones

Many reject the consumption of cow's milk for fear of contamination by hormones or drugs injected into the cows, a reason that although I do not share, I respect it. In this sense, goat's milk is a good alternative if you are one of these people, as it is not related to the controversial bovine growth hormone.

At present there are various positions regarding the effect of this hormone in injected cows with the aim of improving milk performance. Some sources deny this relationship while others claim that a sustained increase in IGF-1 is caused in the milk of treated cows, and that these abnormally high levels may be associated with the incidence of various types of cancer in humans.

9- Anti-cancer properties

What does it have to do with cancer? Mainly because anticancer properties are attributed to goat milk from its content of Coenzyme Q and conjugated linolenic acid.

Milk fat is relevant in this regard, mainly because it partially inhibits the proliferation of tumor cell cultures, a situation that would be of great help in the treatment and prevention of this diverse and terrible disease that causes so many millions of deaths worldwide.

10- Improves sexual health

Traditionally, goat's milk is even considered useful to combat sexual problems such as premature ejaculation, impotence and lack of sexual desire.

The scientific bases to support this situation are not clear, but there are many opinions on its use and efficacy, which can be directly attributed to this milk or a placebo effect, but those who have tried it and it has been successful are happy with the result, whatever the real origin of it.

11-You can freeze it and consume it again

Fresh goat milk cheese

During the time you keep it stored in the cold or in the freezer, the milk may oxidize so that the content of free fatty acids (and therefore the acidity of the milk) increases. On the other hand, its proteins remain stable during exposure to cold.

While the milk is kept frozen, its physical and chemical properties are not altered, except for a slight variation in acidity as we have already marked, although you should not trust yourself as its sensory characteristics (flavor, aroma) may gradually fade as it progresses. the storage.

Final thoughts

Goat's milk is a very friendly and healthy product if we focus it within a balanced and varied diet.

One of the most relevant points in its favor is having a composition closer to breast milk. However, we must not forget that breast milk is what minors need.

In summary, its consumption can bring various benefits (such as the 10 that we review in this article), therefore if you want to include it in your diet and it is to your liking; Go ahead and enjoy it!

References

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2. EL SHIBINY, S. 1978. The chemical composition and properties of goat milk, I milk proteins. Egyptian Journal of Dairy Science 6 (1): 77-80.
3. RICHARDSON, CW 2004. Let's learn about dairy goats and goat's milk. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service. Oklahoma State University. Bulletin No. 424.
4. Manuela Juárez Iglesias, Miguel Ángel de la Fuente Layos and Javier Fontecha Alonso, The nutrients of the milk on cardiovascular health, Nutr Hosp. 2015; 31 (Suppl. 2): 26-32
5. Infante Pina et al, USE OF GOAT'S MILK IN PATIENTS WITH COW'S MILK ALLERGY, An Pediatr (Barc) 2003; 59 (2): 138-42.
6. Bellioni-Businco B, Paganelli R, Lucenti P, Giampietro PG, Perborn H, Businco L. Allergenicity of goat's milk in children with cow's milk allergy. J Allergy Clin Immunol 1999; 103: 1191-4.