Why should infants not drink goat’s milk?
In the United States, goat’s milk is gaining popularity because goats eat less and occupy less grazing space than cows and also because goat’s milk is thought to be more easily digested and less allergenic than cow’s milk. Although goat’s milk may theoretically have some advantages over cow’s milk when it comes to allergies, scientific studies have not found a decreased incidence of allergy with goat’s milk.1 Just like cow’s milk has a nutrient profile needed to support a growing calf, the composition of goat’s milk meets the needs of a growing goat kid, but not that of a human baby. Goat’s milk has a slightly higher protein content and more potassium, phosphorus, sodium and chloride than cow’s milk. These amounts (known as the renal solute load) found in both goat’s milk and cow’s milk are higher than found in human milk and could overload an infant’s developing kidneys and result in serious health problems. Goat’s milk acidosis has been reported in the scientific literature and is mo
