Ahoy! Welcome aboard Noah's Ark!
"Just the facts, please" is the familiar, repeating quote from the old "Dragnet" series.
In other words they wanted the basic truths without dramatic flair or embellishment to use as the foundation blocks for building and ultimately solving a criminal case.
Last week I discussed some of the general differences between cow's milk and goat's milk. This week I want to go into "just the facts" and list the basic nutritional properties of goat's milk versus cow's milk
1. Goat's milk is higher in total fat
2. Goat's milk is much higher in medium chain triglycerides (MCT), associated with numerous health benefits.
3. Goat's milk has a smaller fat globule size that enhances digestibility.
4. Goat's milk fat does not clump together, keeping it more homogenized and also aiding digestibility.
B. Property: protein content
1. Goat milk contains more protein per serving.
2. Goat milk contains higher levels of essential amino acids.
3. Goat milk contains a percentage of proteins with different structures than cow's milk proteins. These differences enhance the digestibility of goat's milk protein, and causes fewer allergic reactions.
4. Goat's milk does not contain agglutinin, unlike cow's milk. Agglutinin is what makes the fat in cow's milk separate from the other components.
5. Goat's milk contains much lower values, and in some cases, none of the protein alpha-s1-casein. This protein promotes the formation of a hard curd from the milk, slowing digestibility. It is also a major allergen in cow's milk.
C. Property: carbohydrates
1. Goat's milk has a lower carbohydrate level, almost all of which is due to less lactose in the milk. The inability to digest lactose is a common condition, and milk with less lactose is helpful for those individuals.
D. Property: vitamins
1. Goat's milk supplies more vitamin A.
2. Goat's milk supplies more niacin (B3) and (B6).
3. Goat's milk is lower in folic acid (B9) and (B 12).
4. Goat's milk has comparable amounts of the other vitamins.
E. Property: minerals
1. Goat's milk is higher in calcium
2. Goat's milk is higher in phosphorous.
3. Goat's milk has more potassium
4. Goat's milk has more iron and copper.
5. Goat's milk has more magnesium
6. Goat's milk has more manganese
7. Selenium in goat milk has been shown to have more antioxidant activity.
8. Goat's milk has comparable levels of zinc and sodium
So there you have it: "just the facts."