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Although cow's milk is the usual base for the preparation of formulas adapted for babies, formula milks made from goat's milk have recently been added to the market, in addition to others made from vegetable drinks such as soy or soy. rice. What are the advantages or benefits of goat formula over cow's milk for babies?
Among these types of formulas, adapted milk made with goat's milk have generated great controversy in many European countries, and in some of them, such as the United Kingdom, their commercialization was even prohibited by law.
Today many brands are marketed normally, and have to comply with the requirements and regulations that the European Union has stipulated to ensure that any adapted formula, be it goat, cow or vegetable, provides adequate nutrients and energy for the full development of a baby fed with these artificial milk. Proponents of goat's milk cite several reasons for considering it better than cow's milk:
- The protein in goat milk is of better quality
Studies carried out on the proteins of goat and cow's milk with respect to breast milk have revealed that, although their quality may be similar - not their biological value, since the protein in breast milk reaches the maximum possible - the kinetic curve of the digestion of goat's milk proteins, that is, the speed at which they are digested, is much more similar to mother's milk than cow's milk is.
According to this, the digestion of proteins in milk made from goat's milk can be more bearable for babies, also facilitating the evacuation of stools, compared to formula made with cow's milk, which is more complicated and heavy to digest. One of the main benefits that this could have could be in order to avoid infant colic, although there is no scientific relevance at the moment.
- It is more nutritious
Several studies have shown that there are no significant differences in the growth and development of children fed with formula milk made from goat or cow's milk, so their nutritional qualities can be considered similar.
These studies normally follow the evolution of infants and a control group of breastfed infants, to determine whether the growth and development of formula-fed infants is normal.
Furthermore, in these studies it was observed that there were no differences in the behavior of the babies (crying, sleeping ...), nor in their general health or in the development of food allergies between children fed with goat and cow's milk.
- Produces fewer allergies
In experimental studies in animals it has been shown that goat's milk is potentially less allergenic than cow's milk. Above all, fewer episodes of atopy and gastrointestinal disorders are observed when goat's milk is used as the main protein source after the period of breastfeeding (follow-on milk).
However, these are studies in mice so it is very difficult to extrapolate to what would happen in humans without more data on the matter. Additionally, goat's milk can produce cross-sensitivity reactions in children with an allergy to cow's milk protein, so caution must be exercised in these cases.
Although the safety and nutritional adequacy of goat milk infant formulas have been widely questioned, today it can be affirmed without doubt that the milks that are currently marketed are a valid option for feeding babies.
However, the decision to use adapted formulas for babies made with cow's milk or goat's milk is exclusively a decision of the families, since there is no significant scientific evidence that one is more beneficial than the other.
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