Things to Know About Goat’s Milk in Baby Formula

Our NEW Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Formula with DHA and ARA: Top 5 Things to Know About Goat’s Milk

When it comes to feeding your children, we know you want premium – and pure – nutrition. We also know that each child is unique when it comes to their nutritional needs and family preferences, so having a variety of feeding options can be helpful in ensuring a child is fed what’s best for them and the family. That’s why we are so excited to launch our newest formula: Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA! You might be wondering, “what’s so great about formula with goat’s milk?” So today, we are sharing the need-to-know facts about our new goat milk-based formula.

Goat Milk Fact 1: Children fed goat milk-based formulas grow similarly to children fed cow’s milk-based formulas.

Cow’s milk-based formulas have been used for decades to support the growth and development of children. While goat milk-based formulas haven’t been around as long as cow milk-based formulas, there is plenty of research suggesting that there are no differences in growth and development between children fed a cow’s milk-based infant formula and children fed a goat’s milk-based infant formula. ^1-4

Just like our cow’s milk-based formulas, Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA provides a balance of carbohydrates, fats, and proteins alongside vitamins and minerals to support growth and development. It’s another option you can feel good about!

Goat Milk Fact 2: Goat’s milk may support easier digestion.

Because of the unique protein composition of goat’s milk, goat milk-based formulas may help support easier digestion. In goat’s milk, there are three different types of protein structures that are especially unique when compared to cow’s milk. The three protein structures are: A2 beta casein, alpha-s1 casein, and B-lactoglobulin. Let’s talk about each of them:

• A2 beta casein: Like A2 cow’s milk, goat’s milk contains predominately A2 beta casein. During digestion, unlike A1 beta-casein, A2 beta-casein does not produce a substance called BCM-7, which is linked to gastrointestinal disturbances.⁵ This is a big advantage!

• Alpha-s1 casein: Alpha-s1 casein forms solid curds during digestion. Interestingly, goat’s milk contains less alpha-s1 casein than other milks.⁵ Because of this, goat’s milk is described as creating softer curds during digestion, leading to more effective digestion.^6-10

• B-lactoglobulin: This type of protein is present in both goat’s milk and cow’s milk, but it is absent from human milk. When found in cow’s milk, it is more resistant to digestion than when found in goat’s milk. This might be one reason goat’s milk digests faster than cow’s milk.⁸

In 2019, research demonstrated that infant formula made with goat’s milk offered faster protein digestion when compared with infant formula made with cow’s milk. They attributed this to the smaller “flocs” (clumps) created during the digestion of goat milk-based formulas. ⁷

We can envision the different protein components of goat’s milk like we do cottage cheese – there is the casein part (the curds) and the whey part (the liquid surrounding the curds). Now picture this: goat’s milk offers softer (not harder!) curds and a liquid that is less (not more!) resistant to digestion. These attributes play into the thought that goat’s milk supports easier digestion.

Goat Milk Fact 3: Goat’s milk offers naturally occurring oligosaccharides, which act as prebiotics

Oligosaccharides are compounds in milk that have numerous beneficial functions, including serving as prebiotics, which support the growth of beneficial bacteria in the gut. By supporting the growth of beneficial bacteria, prebiotics are helpful for supporting the digestive and immune systems.

What’s really fascinating about goat’s milk is that it offers higher levels of oligosaccharides when compared to other milks. ¹¹ For example, the amount of sialic acid (one type of oligosaccharide) is four times higher in goat’s milk than what it is in cow’s milk^.12 And, while its total content and diversity of oligosaccharides appears to be less than that of breastmilk, it offers a more diverse profile of oligosaccharides compared to cow’s milk and sheep’s milk.^11,13 In fact, 5 of the 14 oligosaccharides present in goat’s milk are structurally similar to the many different types of oligosaccharides found in breastmilk.¹⁴

Goat Milk Fact 4: Though its protein structure is unique, goat’s milk isn’t suitable for children with cow’s milk protein allergies.

Because many people will look for alternative formulas when their child has special allergies or intolerances, it’s worth pointing this out: if a child has a known cow’s milk protein allergy (or an allergy to goat’s milk, of course), goat’s milk is not considered safe. ¹⁵

If you need to avoid cow’s milk protein ingredients for whatever reason, you might want to ask your child’s healthcare provider if Baby’s Only® Organic Plant Based Pea Protein Toddler Formula may be a fit. Should you need a comparison chart, click here to contact us!

Goat Milk Fact 5: We source our goat’s milk from the Netherlands, and we pride ourselves in purity!

Nature’s One® sources its high quality, skim goat’s milk from select goat farmers in the Netherlands. We chose this source because the goat’s milk is certified under the Netherlands’ quality control system known as Kwaligeit (“Quali-goat”), which assures the excellence of the production process for goat’s milk, including farming practices, animal health and welfare, and animal feed and drinking water.

Like all of our formulas, Nature’s One® prioritizes pure, organic ingredients! That’s why there are many organic ingredients in Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA. In fact, 70% of the ingredients are organic in Baby’s Only® Goat Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA.

Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA is intended to be used for children 12 months of age and older, or when directed by a child’s healthcare professional.

As always, Nature’s One® strives to offer children a better start…for life™ with formulas where purity is the pillar of production. We are confident that our new Baby’s Only® Goat Milk Toddler Formula with DHA and ARA provides parents with yet another option for feeding their child that they can feel good about!

Click Here to Learn More!

As always, do not hesitate to reach out with any questions you may have about our Baby's Only® Goat Milk Formula or any of our other formulas in the Baby's Only® family of products!

References:

1. Zhou SJ, Sullivan T, Gibson RA, et al. Nutritional adequacy of goat milk infant formulas for term infants: a double-blind randomized controlled trial. British Journal of Nutrition. 2014. 111:1641-1651.
2. Grant C, Rotherham B, Sharpe S, et al. Randomized, double-blind comparison of growth in infants receiving goat milk formula versus cow milk infant formula. Journal of Pediatrics and Child Health. 2005. 41:564–568.
3. Han Y, Chang EY, Kim J, et al. Association of infant feeding practices in the general population with infant growth and stool characteristics. Nutrition Research Practice. 2011. 5:308–312.
4. Xu M, Wang Y, Dai Z, et al. Comparison of growth and nutritional status in infants receiving goat milk–based formula and cow milk–based formula: A randomized, double-blind study. Food and Nutrition Research. 2015. 59:28613.
5. Jung TH, Hwang JH, Yun SS et al. Hypoallergenic and Physiochemical Properties of the A2 B-Casein Fraction of Goat Milk. Korean J. Food Sci. An. 2017;37(6):940-947. DOI: 10.5851/kosfa.2017.37.6.940.
6. Sae-In S Kay, Stefanie Delgado, Jeenu Mittal, Rebecca S Eshraghi, Rahul Mittal, Adrien A Eshraghi, Beneficial Effects of Milk Having A2 β-Casein Protein: Myth or Reality?,The Journal of Nutrition, Volume 151, Issue 5, May 2021, Pages 1061–1072, https://doi.org/10.1093/jn/nxaa454
7. Ye A, Cui J, Carpenter E, et al. Dynamic in vitro gastric digestion of infant formulae made with goat milk and cow milk: Influence of protein composition. Int Dairy J. 2019. 97:76-85.
8. Almaas H, Cases AL, Devold TG, et al. In vitro digestion of bovine and caprine milk by human gastric and duodenal enzymes. International Dairy Journal. 2006. 16:961-968.
9. Hodgkinson AJ, Wallace OAM, Boggs I, et al. Gastric digestion of cow and goat milk: Impact of infant and young child in vitro digestion conditions. Food Chemistry. 2018. 245: 275-281.
10. Prosser CG. Compositional and functional characteristics of goat milk and relevance as a base for infant formula. JFDS. 2021. 86(2):257-265. doi:10.1111/1750-3841.15574
11. Verduci E, D'Elios S, Cerrato L, et al. Cow's Milk Substitutes for Children: Nutritional Aspects of Milk from Different Mammalian Species, Special Formula and Plant-Based Beverages. Nutrients. 2019;11(8):1739. Published 2019 Jul 27. doi:10.3390/nu11081739
12. Van Leeuwen SS, tePoele EM, Chatziioannou AC, et al. Goat Milk Oligosaccharides: Their Diversity, Quantity, and Functional Properties in Comparison to Human Milk Oligosaccharides. J. Agric. Food Chem. 2020. 68:13469-13485.
13. Thurl S,Munzert M, Boehm G, Matthews C, Stahl B. Systematic review of the concentrations of oligosaccharides in human milk. Nutr Rev. 2017;75(11):920-933. doi:10.1093/nutrit/nux044
14. Leong A, Liu Z, Almshawit H, et al. Oligosaccharides in goats’ milk-based infant formula and their prebiotic and anti-infection properties. British Journal of Nutrition. 2019; 122:441-449. DOI: 10.1017/S00071145190034X
15. EFSA Panel on Dietetic Products, Nutrition and Allergies. Scientific Opinion on the suitability of goat milk protein as a source of protein in infant formulae and in follow-on formulae. EFSA Journal. 2012. 10(3):2603.