Breast Milk vs Cow Milk
Milk is the most unique secretion produced by the mammals from their characteristic mammary glands. They in fact, got their nomenclature as mammals due to this invaluable secretion. Milk carries not only the nourishment to the newborn, but also the message of mother’s love. The firstly secreted milk is yellow coloured and called colostrum, which carries antibodies and minerals to provide the newborns with immunity against diseases. After few days, milk becomes white in colour, and it is called mature or true milk. The composition of the milk differs only slightly within animals, but it contains significant amounts of saturated fats, proteins, calcium, and vitamins (especially vitamin C). The presence of vitamin C makes the milk to be slightly acidic.
Breast Milk
Breast milk comes with many benefits to the infants, and it makes a strong relationship with the mother. Feeding breast milk in the first three months is very important since it develops the immunity of the child. Certain studies have proven that many children who were not fed with breast milk are more susceptible for many diseases viz. Cardiopulmonary Diseases, Crohn’s disease, Hodgkin’s disease, Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and Diabetes Mellitus. Given the immense importance for a child to be healthy, at least six months of breast feeding should be provided. The nutrients of the breast milk is neither low nor high of nutrients, but contains the ideal amounts for infant nourishment with 1.1% of protein, 4.2% of fat, 7.0% of lactose, and 0.16% of minerals. On average, breast milk provides about 72 kilocalories of energy per 100 grams. The breast milk is not only balanced with nutrient contents, but also has a taste that children love, which is more due to the sweetness that comes from lactose. Breast milk by far, is the most important form of feeding for infants and consequently that prospects the health of adults as well.
Cow Milk
The cow colostrum is rich with immunoglobulin because, the newborns need those in their blood for better development of immunity. Cow milk contains 3.4% of protein, 3.6% of fat, 4.6% of lactose, and 0.7% of minerals. It is calculated that there are 66 kilocalories of energy per 100 grams in cow milk. Cow milk come out of four mammary glands and the production of milk is much higher. Scientists have developed genetically modified cows to produce more than 50 litres of milk per day. Cow milk is not recommended for the children below six months considering the difficulties in digestion. Additionally, it doesn’t carry adequate amounts of iron and vitamin E. However, cow milk by far, is the most commonly used form of milk in the world.
The differences between breast milk and cow milk are significant. There is a belief that the breast milk can increase the intelligence of the children, which cow milk does not have. Feeding breast milk until the child is at least for six months is recommended.
In comparison, a cow can produce a large volume of milk than a human mother. Also, the nutrient contents differ with more proteins and minerals in cow milk however, breast milk has more lipids and lactose. Additionally, breast milk has vitamin C which is not in cow milk. Despite the more sweetness due to more lactose in breast milk, children love to be fed with both these types, and indeed cow milk is consumed by adults as well.