Goats' milk is better than cows' milk
For most people there is no advantage in drinking goats' milk. There are a number of nutritional
differences between goats' milk and cows' milk but the difference is not likely to be significant for
most adults. However, for infants under 12 months, goats' milk is unsuitable as a substitute for
breast milk unless it is pasteurised and supplemented with the B group vitamin, folacin, and
possibly vitamins B-12, C and D, to the levels present in human milk. Prior to the 1950s bottle-fed
babies were usually given cows' milk diluted with water and containing added sugar or lactose.
Babies fed solely on cows' milk modified in this way required additional vitamin C and iron. These
days, a variety of nutritionally complete formulas based on cows' milk are widely available.
The effectiveness of goats' milk as a means of avoiding cows' milk allergy depends on which of
the protein components in the cows milk is responsible for the allergy. Some components are
common to both milks. If one of these components caused the allergy then substitution of one
milk for the other would not overcome the problem. However, if one of the protein fractions
occurring only in cows' milk was responsible for the allergy, then a change to goats' milk would
be beneficial.
