Goat milk may have more benefits for digestion and heart health than cow’s milk. It’s a rich source of protein, vitamins, minerals, and highly digestible fats.
People who struggle to digest cow’s milk may tolerate goat milk better.
Goat milk has a higher percentage of short and medium-chain fatty acids than cow’s milk. The body digests these fats more quickly and easily than long-chain fatty acids. Goat milk also contains smaller fat globules than cow’s milk, further increasing its digestibility.
Due to these properties, goat milk may help people with malabsorptive diseases like:
- Cystic fibrosis
- Gallstones
- Intestinal resection
- Steatorrhea
Goat milk can also supply probiotics that promote a healthy gut microbiome. It also contains oligosaccharides that act as prebiotics, which feed healthy gut bacteria.
Goat milk appears to be more beneficial for your cholesterol and blood pressure than cow’s milk. Having high cholesterol and blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease and stroke.
Consuming it may increase the excretion of cholesterol from the blood. The type of casein in goat milk may generate peptides that act like angiotensin I-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE inhibitors help relax the veins and arteries to lower blood pressure.
The ratio of omega-6 to omega-3 fatty acids in goat milk is around the recommended ratio for preventing heart disease.
Goat milk also contains antioxidants that can prevent cell damage, which can further protect your heart.
Goat milk contains several key nutrients for bone health: calcium, vitamin D, and phosphorus.
One cup of goat milk has 25% of the Daily Value (DV) for calcium. This mineral helps promote bone density and strength to prevent injury and osteoporosis (a bone disease in which bones become weak and brittle).
Vitamin D is essential for calcium absorption. One cup of fortified goat milk has 15% of the DV for vitamin D.
One cup of goat milk contains 22% of the DV for phosphorus. Phosphorus gives your bones and teeth their structure.
Goat milk has a comparable protein and lactose content to cow’s milk. You can get a good amount of calcium and vitamin D from fortified goat’s milk.
Each 8-ounce cup of goat milk contains:
- Calories: 168
- Fat: 10 grams (g)
- Sodium: 122 milligrams (mg)
- Carbohydrates: 11 g
- Protein: 9 g
- Potassium: 498 g, or 11% of the DV
- Phosphorus: 271 mg, or 22% of the DV
- Calcium: 327 mg, or 25% of the DV
- Vitamin A: 139 micrograms (mcg) RAE, or 15% of the DV
- Vitamin D: 3.2 mcg, or 15% of the DV
Goat milk is also a source of potassium, phosphorus, and vitamin A. Getting enough vitamin A is important for eye health, and goat milk has a higher amount than cow’s milk.
How Does Goat Milk Compare to Other Milks?
Goat milk has a similar protein and lactose content to cow’s milk. There are slight differences in their unsaturated fat, saturated fat, sodium, and potassium content. However, these differences do not typically make a big impact on health.
Compared to non-dairy options like oat milk or almond milk, goat milk is much higher in protein. Non-dairy milks that are high in protein include soy or pea protein milk. These options are also free from lactose.
When shopping for goat milk, there are raw or pasteurized options. Pasteurized milk has been heat-treated to get rid of bacteria.
Raw goat milk poses food safety risks because it has not been treated to kill off harmful pathogens. For this reason, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) only recommends drinking pasteurized milk.
If you have a cow’s milk allergy, you will also need to be careful about goat milk. Over 90% of people who are allergic to cow’s milk protein also react to the protein found in goat milk.
A 2020 study found that the casein in goat milk, which is different from that found in cow’s milk, may not lead to the same allergic response. It’s still important to proceed with caution.
Goat milk has lactose and is not suitable for people with lactose intolerance.
You can use goat milk similarly to any other milk. Ways to incorporate goat milk into your diet include:
- Add goat milk to smoothies or coffee.
- Drink a glass of plain goat milk.
- Have goat milk yogurt as a snack with fruit and granola.
- Make cajeta, which is a caramel sauce made with goat milk.
- Use goat milk to make savory dishes like mashed potatoes, curry, or mac and cheese.
