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By Hatty Willmoth
Food & Nutrition Reporter
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A person's choice of milk can offer a glimpse into their diet and values: Perhaps they favor oat milk for sustainability; full-fat cow's milk for malty creaminess; or organic three-ingredient almond milk for a whole-food, plant-based option.
This month, goat's milk has seen an increase in interest, according to Google Trends, and social media users have said they are turning to it as a healthier alternative to cow's milk or to use in their skin care routines.
Christina Lombardi, a dietitian-nutritionist at Functional Nutrition Rx, told Newsweek: "Individuals choose to drink goat's milk rather than cow's milk for many reasons, including overall nutritional content, ease of digestion, A1 casein allergies and taste.
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"Cup for cup, goat's milk has more fat and protein than cow's milk as well as micronutrients like calcium and potassium."
Lombardi said that, because of its higher fat content, goat's milk was "thicker and creamier than cow's milk, making it a preferred choice for some."
Nutritional therapist Janie Perry, of Janie Perry Nutrition, told Newsweek: "Goat's milk contains more fat and calories than cow's milk, so may not be the best choice for weight loss for some people."
She added that goat's milk also had a "distinct flavor" that some considered an acquired taste.
For higher-quality milk with more omega-3 fatty acids, Lombardi recommended choosing milk from pasture-raised goats.
Is Goat's Milk Easier to Digest?
Dairy milk is made up of casein and whey proteins, and about 80 percent of the protein in both cow's and goat's milk is casein.
People who are intolerant to dairy milk usually react to lactose—a sugar—but some react to casein, in which case goat's milk may be a better option than cow's.
"Cow's milk contains A1 casein, which is inflammatory and can be hard to digest for many," Perry said. "Goat's milk is a good alternative choice due to its higher content of A2 casein, which is noninflammatory and easier to digest."
Perry said that while goat's milk has A1 casein—alpha-s1—it contains much smaller amounts of the protein than cow's milk, so it may better suit those who react to A1 casein.
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Does Goat's Milk Have Lactose?
Goat's milk, like cow's milk, contains the sugar lactose. But as seen with casein, the milks contain different amounts of the sugar.
For those who avoid dairy because they are lactose intolerant, goat's milk may be preferable to cow's milk.
"Goat's milk has less lactose than cow's milk, so it can be easier to digest for people with milk lactose sensitivity," Perry said. "However, it still contains lactose, and so caution is needed."
Is Goat's Milk Good for the Skin?
Much of the attention that goat's milk has received recently comes from its reported skin care benefits.
"Some say goat's milk may be an elixir for skin," Lombardi said. "In general, consuming dairy can be triggering for those with acne-prone skin. However, soaps made with goat's milk can provide benefits to those with acne-prone skin."
She added that goat's milk in soaps could provide fatty acids and vitamin A, which could "help repair damage to skin and soften skin texture, while reducing skin inflammation."
Perry said many people found that drinking goat's milk helped clear up their skin, on account of "its higher content of noninflammatory casein." She added that using it on the skin could be beneficial because it contained lactic acid, "a natural exfoliant that helps unclog pores."
She also said the fats in goat's milk could "help soothe, nourish and moisturize the skin."
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