http://www.medicinenet.com/script/main/art.asp?li=MNI&ArticleKey=21691
Many parents give their babies goat's milk because they believe that it is far less allergenic than cow's milk. Now researchers in Germany have found that the allergenic effects of goat's and cow's milk-based baby foods are practically the same and that children with cow's milk allergies are often also allergic to goat's milk. The idea that goat's milk is easier for babies to digest was also not substantiated. German pediatricians are now warning parents not to give their babies goat's milk. It will be interesting to see if this action influences goat's milk consumption in the US.
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Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D.
Frederick Hecht, M.D.
Medical Editors, MedicineNet.com
German doctors warn against goat's milk for infants
Last Updated: 2002-11-05 15:49:38 -0400
BERLIN (Reuters Health) - German paediatricians have warned parents against giving their babies goat's milk, despite the popular belief that it can be as nourishing as cow's milk with fewer risks of allergy.
The nutrition commission of the German Association for Paediatrics and Youth Medicine this week issued a warning that goat's milk products had not been properly evaluated and parents should avoid giving goat's milk to their babies.
"The nutrition commission advises, on the basis of insufficient information, that food containing goat's milk should not in general be used to feed infants," according to the association's statement.
While some believe that baby food containing goat's milk is easier for babies to digest than cow's milk, this idea could not be substantiated, said Professor Berthold Koletzko, of the Dr. von Haunersches Children's Hospital in Munich, and others in the statement.
He said the proteins in the two milks were in fact very similar, although goat's milk does not contain S1-casein, which is present in cow's milk.
"Controlled clinical studies on the digestibility of goat's milk by infants is missing," the association said.
The paediatricians were also critical of advertising and marketing claims that goat's milk was far less allergenic than cow's milk, saying results of in vitro tests and clinical studies showed no practical difference.
The association was moved to publish its statement in this month's German-language paediatrics journal Monatshchrift Kinderheilkunde, including the information its nutrition commission had gathered.
It noted that European Union guidelines do not approve goat's milk as a source of protein for baby foods.
The allergenic effects of goat's and cow's milk-based baby food are practically the same, while placebo-controlled tests on children with cow's milk allergies show they are often also sensitive to goat's milk.
The association has called for goat's milk-based baby food to no longer be sold as 'infant food' or 'follow-up food.'
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