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Goat milk’s role in longevity, health - Taurine factor
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Monday, 16 June, 2014, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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R C Gupta
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fiogf49gjkf0d Abstract
Longevity,sound health, functional nutrients all are spirally bonded, of which functional nutrients contribute maximum to maintain sound health leading to prolonged life span.
The famous island of longevity (Blue Zones); whether it is Okinawa in Japan where people depend more on marine products,fishes,as well as laver (algae), or in Ikaria in Greece or Sardinia in Mediterranean, people drink,goat milk.
In this regard, indepth analysis reveals that the molecule of functional action is,richness of taurine may be in fish, laver or goat milk.
Taurine’s potential as functional agent is well recognised with its role in cardio protection and alleviation of diabetes and many chronic illnesses.
A large number of beneficial effects associated with goat milk may be monitored through taurine functions.
Goat milk is now part of a huge health market, beauty market, cosmetics and special dietary products. It is well established that taurine acts as a major component of “host defence” by scavenging free radicals and also as osmoregulator, membrane stabiliser and so on.
Immune system
Longevity is a dependent consequence of sound health. Health is not a commercial commodity but it is built and maintained through strengthened immune system and “host defence “management. A large number of agents are involved in host defence corridor; they act through several mechanisms; one of these is scavenging of free radicals thus labelling them as antioxidants. Sulfur itself is a vital element which also protects from several inflammatory events. Sulfur containing amino acids are very few but they have significant role in development as well as maintenance of well being.
One of the sulphur amino acid is taurine which is chemically 2- Amino ethane sulfonic acid. Taurine has been recognised as antioxidant since long; besides this it also works as osmoregulator, membrane stabiliser and is useful in management of calcium ions (Gupta& Kim 2003, Gupta et al. 2009). It has a wide range of biological activities from heart to brain, eye to liver and from diabetes to cancer prevention. It has been patented for various diseases and is a part of functional food, nutraceuticals, pharmaconutrients and special diets for chronic illness.
Complete food
Milk which is regarded as complete food is in general synonymous to cow milk. However cow milk also has several negative aspects and may not be well for all. It is disheartening to know that cow milk almost lacks taurine which is essential for infant growth and development ;the foundation brick for longevity whereas goat milk which is traditionally classified as poor man’s has almost at par content of taurine to mother’s milk(Gupta 2012,Gupta 2013).
Longevity-sound health-taurine in nutrition: An inner circle
The best example of longevity is Okinawa Island of Japan, Ikaria Island in Greece and Sardinia a Mediterranean Island where average life span is still highest in the world. The “inside story” reveals that people of Okinawa Island for their nutritional aspects are dependent on aquatic sources, fishes, red alga lever for making sushi and other marine products. The analysis conforms high taurine content inside these nutrient sources,whereas people in island of Ikaria and Sardinia drink more and more goat milk. Mother milk is the rich source of strengthening the immune system and is building bricks for sound health, is rich in taurine. Dependency of breast milk requirement is generally supplemented by cow milk, however cows lack taurine and several other vital molecules, but same is happily abundant in goat milk on par with mother’s milk.
Replacement of cow’s milk with goat milk in infants will further add to taurine concentration thus assuring sound health. Declining capacity of taurine synthesis, in later stages of ageing demands utilisation of taurine-rich substances more.
Longevity and goat milk
There are several reasons to link goat milk with longevity, may be presence of bioactive molecules in goat milk are causes of such happening. Goat milk helps to increase life span because:
Beneficial for absorption and gastro intestinal function.
Easier to digest with smaller fat globule size.
Short chain fatty acids make easier to digest and absorb.
Goat milk has less allergy components.
Tension in the cover of goat milk is only half of the cow’s milk to form softer curd in stomach.
Nucleotides in goat milk are at par with human milk whereas cow milk is low in nucleotides.
Presence of small quantity of cholesterol.
Due to high pH no intolerance.
Body digests goat milk in 2.5 hours and cow milk in 5 hours.
96%of goat milk completely hydrolyses in vitro by trypsin compared to an average of 76-90 of cows.
Goat milk degrades fast by human gastric and duodenal juice than cow milk.
Goat milk tends to have a better buffering quality which is good for treatment of ulcer.
Large amount of iron, calcium, potassium, phosphorus is good for young and elderly.
Goat milk alleviates muscle fatigue and raises exercise capacity during workouts.
Marketing goat milk
The potential benefits of goat milk and its products have opened new dimensions in its marketing, may be health, cosmeceuticals or specialised products like soft cheese and others (Manzi & Pizzoferrato 2012, Ribeiro & Ribeiro2010).
Health market
Because of less allergic or almost no allergy to infants, children, it is great in demand; presence of medium chain fatty acids is good for treatment of malabsorption, premature infant nutrition, cystic fibrosis, coronary diseases, gall stone problems and so on. This has further enhanced its marketing.
Beauty market
Historically goat milk has been used by ancient Egyptians for cosmetic purposes. Cleopatra is still known for using goat milk in her pursuit of looking better and improving personal appearance.
Goat milk reduces the skin ageing symptoms and other factors causing damage to appearance. It contributes in cleaning creating, protecting, and decorating skin.
Taurine action in disease prevention & therapy – Inside happening
During injury, diseased state, free radicals generate reactive oxygen intermediate, neutrophil; activation of neutrophil results in production of hydrogen peroxide (H2O2).
During activation mieloperoxidase (MOP) enzyme is secreted, subsequently substrate (H2O2) and enzyme (MOP) react with Cl to produce highly reactive hypochlorite and follow a system;
HOCl is highly toxic agent, it reacts with taurine to produce less toxic chloro taurine.
Conclusion
In modern times, people aspire to for longevity; however longevity depends on efficiency and adequate supply of functional nutrients from new born to adulthood and beyond. Milk is always regarded as complete food, it is now established that goat milk is superior than cow’s milk as it is easy to absorb, digest with several benefits, the molecule behind its extra beneficial actions than cow is believed to be presence of high concentration of taurine which is well recognised functional agent with multiple functions in heart to brain and lever to kidney thus involving in holistic health care.
The beneficial action of taurine is believed to be channelised through “host defence” and osmoregulation. The richness of goat milk is fit to be classifying it to be part of functional food, nutraceuticals, designed and special care food, and as pharmaconutrients for critical care. It is the right time to sell the goodness of goat milk and molecule behind it - taurine for good health, beauty, cosmeceuticals and other purposes.
Reference
Gupta, R.C. (2012) Taurine-rich goat’s milk, proceedings of the Ist Asia Dairy goat conference, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, 9-12 April.
Gupta, R.C. (2013) Taurine-rich goat milk and its products: components of functional food nutraceuticals and assurance to sound health, goat milk quality, Regional ICAR, conference Trmso, Norway, pp 21-22.
Gupta, R.C. and S.J. Kim, 2003, Role of Taurine in organs’ dysfunction and in their alleviation, Crit. Care Shock 6, 171-177
Gupta, R.C., M.D. Archivio and R. Masella, (2009). Taurine as drug and functional food component: Glutathione and sulphur Amino Acids in human health and disease. Jhon Wiley and Sons, Inc. Philadelphian, USA, pp 543-578.
Manzi, P. & Pizzoferrato, L. (2012) Taurine in milk and yoghurt marketed in Italy, International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition, pp 1-5.
Ribeiro, A.C. & Ribeiro, S.D.A. (2010). Specialty products made from goat milk. Small Ruminant Research, 89 pp 225-233.
(The author is professor of chemistry at SASRD, Nagaland University, Medziphema, Nagaland. He can be contacted at guptaramesh994@gmail.com)
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