German doctors warn against goat`s milk for infants

Germany (November 11, 2002) - German pediatricians 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, according to a Reuters Health report.

The nutrition commission of the German Association for Pediatrics 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 pediatricians 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 pediatrics 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.`

Source : Food Ingredients First