Over the last couple of months, I have switched from drinking cow's milk to primarily drinking goat's milk. Those of you not from the UK or US may not find this strange at all and may question why I was drinking cow milk so much in the first place. Others of you may be shaking your heads judgmentally as you take another sip of your oat milk latte. But hear me out. I believe goat milk is one of the healthiest milks out there, and it’s delicious too.
It’s popular
Goats have been used as a source of milk and meat for thousands of years. It’s estimated that 65%-72% of the world’s population drinks goat milk, and in many countries, goat milk is preferred to cow milk. Goats were actually once considered the “poor man’s cow”, but their price tag at my local supermarket says otherwise! Goat milk is becoming more popular in countries like the UK and the US, and here’s why you shouldn’t pass up an opportunity to try some.
Milk allergy
Casein is one type of protein found in dairy that is responsible for giving milk its white colour. Some people have an allergy to alpha S1-casein in cow milk (not the same as lactose intolerance) and may find goat milk helpful. Goat milk contains lesser amounts of alpha S1 and higher amounts of β-casein than cow milk. Certain goat milk has alpha s-1 casein levels that are 89% lower than those of cow milk. There is a lot of anecdotal evidence available suggesting goat milk is more hypoallergenic than cow milk. Studies have shown infants suffering from gastrointestinal allergies and chronic enteropathy caused by cow milk are reportedly cured by goat milk therapy. Others have reported improvement in asthma, digestive issues, and eczema too. It is thought that between 40 to 100% of patients allergic to cow's milk proteins tolerate goat's milk.
Remember, though, that if you’re sensitive to cow milk, switching to goat milk may not solve your allergy problems. Due to a high risk of cross-reactivity with cow milk, some people may still find goat milk inflammatory. But it may be worth a cautious try.
Contains more prebiotics than cow's milk
As well as containing lower levels of α-S1 casein, goat milk also contains higher levels of oligosaccharides, making it more similar to human milk compared to cow milk.
Oligosaccharides are a type of carbohydrate formed when three to 10 simple sugars are linked together and are best known for their “prebiotic” property. A prebiotic is “a selectively fermented ingredient that allows specific changes, both in the composition and/or activity in the gastrointestinal microflora that confers benefits upon host well-being and health.”.
Benefits of prebiotics (in general) include:
- Reducing the prevalence and duration of infectious and antibiotic-associated diarrhoea;
- Reducing the inflammation and symptoms associated with inflammatory bowel disease;
- Exerting protective effects to prevent colon cancer;
- Enhancing the bioavailability and uptake of minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and possibly iron;
- Lowering some risk factors for cardiovascular disease; and
- Promoting satiety and weight loss and preventing obesity.
In this study, goat milk oligosaccharides promoted the growth of Bifidobacterium and Lactobacillus, both ‘good’ bacteria. Interestingly, goat milk was also effective in reducing the adherence of E. coli and S. Typhimurium ("bad" bacteria) to human gut cells. The study concludes with:
“Together, these results suggest that oligosaccharides naturally present in goat milk-based infant formula exhibit strong prebiotic and anti-pathogen adhesion properties and may confer gut health benefits to infants.”
I would assume that these benefits would hold true for all individuals and not only infants."
Contains more MCT than cow milk
Goat milk has a characteristic (love or hate) taste and smell, similar to goat cheese. It is thought that medium-chain triglycerides (MCT)—caproic, caprylic, and capric acids—contribute to this smell. These three fatty acids comprise 15% of the total goat milk fat, versus only 5% of cow milk.
Fun fact: The term capric acid is derived from the Latin "caper / capra" (goat) because the sweaty, unpleasant smell of the compound is reminiscent of goats.
But don’t let this distinctive taste put you off.
Those who undertake a low-carb or ketogenic diet may already know the benefits of MCT consumption, as it is easily converted to ketones in the liver. But MCTs have other beneficial effects on human health too, these include:
- Having anti-seizure properties. Capric acid in particular is thought to stabilize the brain by acting as a non-competitive AMPA receptor antagonist, an excitatory neuroreceptor. This, along with ketone usage, is thought to contribute to the anticonvulsant effect of the MCT ketogenic diet.
- Mitochondrial biogenesis. Capric acid, in combination with the ketogenic diet, may target genes involved in mitochondrial biogenesis.
- Antimicrobial and antifungal effects.
Protects against DNA damage.
It’s one thing to eat food and take supplements; another thing is to reach the intended biological destination at the appropriate amount. This is the concept of bioavailability, why I recommend animal-based proteins for optimal muscle gain, and one reason I take magnesium glycinate rather than magnesium oxide.
Different combinations of food can up or down-regulate certain molecules and minerals available on that plate. Oxalate, for example, found in spinach, can bind to calcium in the gut and prevent the body from absorbing it. Goat milk, however, has been found to be quite beneficial in this regard.
This study demonstrated that goat milk consumption improved zinc bioavailability. The same study also showed goat milk to have more antioxidant properties than cow milk. These two properties, along with an increased level of magnesium and better fat quality than cow milk, have been suggested to contribute to genomic stability in habitable goat milk drinkers. In other words, habitable goat milk consumption may protect against DNA damage.
More on minerals
Other than zinc and magnesium, goat milk has been shown to help with the digestive and metabolic utilisation of minerals such as iron, calcium, and phosphorus. This rat study highlighted that:
“The digestive utilisation of calcium is greater when the animals consume the goat-milk-based diet rather than that based on cow milk or the standard diet.
...The iron content in the reserve organs, namely the liver and the spleen, is greater with the standard diet and the goat milk diet than with that containing cow milk.
There is an obviously beneficial effect of goat milk on the metabolism of calcium and iron, which minimizes any interaction between the two minerals.”
If you have been found to have iron-deficient anaemia or other conditions driven by certain mineral deficiencies, goat milk might be the right milk for you.
CLA
Goat milk has a high content of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), and as we have learnt, not all fats are created equal. CLA is particularly interesting as it has been shown to reduce body fat, though the evidence is mixed.
Those who consume foods high in CLA (e.g., grass-fed beef) have been shown to have a lower likelihood of developing conditions such as diabetes and cancer. But again, these are observational studies, and you know what I think about them.
On the subject of cancer, however, CLA has been demonstrated to have anti-tumour, antimutagenic and antioxidant properties. However, again, the majority of the studies are in vivo or in vitro.
I think CLA needs further experimental work with regard to estimating its true value as an anti-cancer agent. But it’s something to look out for in the future.
Lower oestrogen levels
Concerned with limiting oestrogen intake? You may want to swap cow milk for goat milk, but it’s not exactly what you think.
This study estimates the average daily intake of E1 and E2 that would be consumed by the average US resident drinking slightly more than ¾ cup fluid milk per day to be from 10.2 to 54.4 ng from goat to organic whole milk, respectively. To put these values into proper perspective, the data shows that the average American consumes less than 0.02% of the number of oestrogens through fluid milk than is ingested by an individual taking low-dose Premarin (an oestrogen medication that is used in menopausal hormone therapy).
This study concluded:
“A lower combined concentration of estrone (E1) and 17β-estradiol (E2) was found in goat milk than in any of the cow milk products tested... Goat milk represents a better dietary choice for individuals concerned with limiting their estrogen intake”.
It must be stated that although the doses of either E1 or E2 were small compared with what would be ingested from taking Premarin, the cumulative effects of years of consumption are still unknown.
Goat milk is good but not perfect
It would be wrong for me to state that goat milk is the perfect milk for all human beings. Firstly, goat milk has deficiencies in certain vitamins, such as folic acid and vitamin B12, which are significantly lower than in cow milk. Goat milk is also low in pyridoxine (B6), vitamin C, and vitamin D.
As stated before, some goat milk proteins have immunological cross-reactivity with cow milk proteins. So you may not be in the all-clear if you switch to goat milk from cow milk for inflammatory reasons. And some people can only have a goat milk protein allergy.
Goat milk should be consumed as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle!
Final remarks
I love goat milk. I enjoy its distinct taste and feel good knowing how beneficial it is for me to consume. I can see goat milk becoming the next big health craze in Western nations. It has all the properties for it to become so. I am glad to be part of the 72% of the world’s population who primarily drink goat milk, and hopefully, I have convinced some of you to join me too.