Influence of goat and cow milk on the digestive and metabolic utilization of calcium and iron.

The effects of goat and cow milk on the digestive and metabolic utilization of calcium and iron were studied in rats using a standard (non-milk) control diet. The digestive utilization of calcium is greater when the animals consume the goat-milk-based diet rather than that based on cow milk or the standard diet. The digestive utilization of iron, however, is similar for the goat-milk diet and the standard diet, and in both cases superior to that based on cow milk. The calcium content in the femur, sternum and Longissimus dorsi muscle (L.D. muscle) provides an indication of what happens during the utilization of the mineral; more is deposited when the rats consume a milk-based diet, particularly one based on goat milk. The iron content in the reserve organs, namely the liver and the spleen, is greater with the standard diet and the goat milk diet than with that containing cow milk. There is an obviously beneficial effect of goat milk on the metabolism of calcium and iron, which minimizes any interaction between the two minerals.