Importance of Sheep Milk and its Role in Economic Upliftment of Sheep Farmers in India
भेड़ के दूध का महत्व और भेड़ किसानों के आर्थिक उत्थान में इसकी भूमिका
Sheep milk is a delicious alternative to cow milk, and also provides a number of health benefits, including an ability to lower cholesterol levels, strengthen the bones, boost the immune system, stimulate growth and development, prevent birth defects, reduce inflammation, fight cancer and lower blood pressure.
Sheep Milk
When it comes to non-human milk, there are only a few animals on which the human population relies, such as cows, goats, buffalo, and sheep. Sheep milk has been used for thousands of years as a form of sustenance around the world, and while it is not nearly as common as cow milk, there is a reason for its perennial popularity. Sheep milk is actually superior to buffalo, cow, and goat milk in a few important categories, and also has a unique, delicious flavor that has become a cultural staple for cuisine in certain regions. Sheep milk comes from the mammary gland of the ewe (female sheep) and is intended to nurse their young, but humans have also been raising and milking sheep for generations.Sheep
Sheep milk is used in the production of numerous famous cheeses, including feta and Roquefort, in addition to making various yogurts and even being drunk as a standard beverage, although this is less common. When you consume milk from sheep or its derivative products, you are getting an impressive boost in protein, carbohydrates, beneficial fats, essential minerals and important vitamins. Due to the limited time of the year that most sheep produce milk, constant cultivation is more difficult, which is why sheep milk and related products are typically more expensive and harder to find. That being said, let’s take a look at some of the most important health benefits of sheep milk.
Milk has been a part of human nutrition since time immemorial. It is the first food for all mammals after birth. Milk is labeled with age old adage like complete food, super food, nutrient enriched food, first food etc.
About 10,000 years ago, people hardly drink milk of animals, they first domesticated the animals for their meat, but slowly early farmers and pastoralists start taking milk as a food and at present day milk becomes the most abundant food enjoyed worldwide by each and every section of society. Milk for human consumption usually obtained from cow, buffalo, sheep, goat and in certain areas from yak, camel.
The whole world is facing two major challenges these days i.e. Climate change and Malnutrition. Malnutrition encompasses food security and food safety. There is a need of adequate and nutritional food for the mankind.
Modern diet and present-day lifestyle has undergone drastic changes in recent years. This resulted remarkable rise in chronic and deadly diseases. Therefore, consumers are now shifting towards health foods. They are looking for food items having moderate amount of carbohydrate, beneficial fatty acid, ample of minerals and health influential peptides.
Sheep milk addresses all these nutritional facets effectively. It has some important merits that the most popular cow’s milk lacks.
Sheep milk has a good proportion of calorie which is considered beneficial for performing athletes. Sheep milk has twice the fat of cow milk; it also means twice the healthy fats like medium chain fatty acids and linoleic acids. Healthy fats are needed for many physiological processes of body like absorption of nutrients and maintaining body temperature.
Sheep milk is naturally homogenized, that means it is easier to digest. It is higher in iron, calcium, phosphorous, zinc, thiamine, riboflavin and Vitamin C. Higher protein levels in sheep milk made it conducive for fermented milk product formulation and microbial growth. Therefore, now a day it is considered as an excellent source for delivering probiotic to humans.
Bioactive peptides from sheep milk have a medicinal impact that is beyond nutritional impact. It has reported to have ACE inhibitory activity to combat cardiac diseases; antimicrobial and immune-modulatory activity. A current research reported that consumption of sheep milk enhances the bone growth in rats compared to cow milk. Sheep milk is very nutritious diet for weak and debilitated problems.
Climate change is another burning challenge that drastically affected the animal productivity. Sheep is one of the most adaptable animals in the earth. It can survive and perform under scarcity of natural resources (land, water and feed) and by the investment of least capital.
Nature has endowed sheep with various unique morphological features to adapt in various climatic adversities. Morphological variations and uniqueness make sheep adaptable to wide variety of climatic condition i.e. from snowy mountains to arid deserts.
Sheep in India reared mainly for meat and wool; but recently sheep milk is gaining attention of researchers. Ayurveda has described the use of sheep milk in various disorders like tuberculosis, gonorrhea, cystitis, obesity and flatulence. It is also good for rheumatism and hectic cough symptoms.
Migration of people towards cities and continuous erosion of natural resources forces the ignorant and uneducated farmer’s community to shift from their age old practices towards easy income sources, but they have to go for sustainable practices which can bring profit in social, economic and environmental terms.
The dairy sheep industry is yet untouched area in India which need to be exploited both by farmers and researchers. It is an emerging sector, definitely gain high demand in coming future, therefore farmers should look forward in this direction.
It is a profitable venture with very low investments for small, marginal farmers and landless labours. Sheep farming can be the sustainable alternative for the farmers to handle the future day’s climate change and food security challenges.
In future sheep milk has to play a promising role in order to satisfy the consumer’s demand of health food.
Health Benefits Of Sheep Milk
Immune System Boost: With the rich combination of minerals and nutrients found in sheep milk, including vitamins A and vitamin E, your immune system can get a solid healthy boost. Vitamins A and E both act as antioxidants within the body, seeking out free radicals and eliminating them from the system, thus preventing the onset of chronic disease and oxidative stress. This type of milk is also very good for improving the health and appearance of the skin, mainly through the activity of vitamin E.
Growth and Development: When it comes to protein content, non-human milks are excellent sources, but sheep milk is considered the best. With 5.4 grams of protein per 100 grams of milk, sheep milk is better than cow milk (3.2 grams), goat milk (3.1 grams) and buffalo milk (4.5 grams). This makes sheep milk extremely important for growth and development, as complete proteins are essential for the production of tissues, cells and bone matter in the body. Furthermore, protein is a great form of usable, easily accessible energy that keeps you active and operating normally.
Fight Cancer: The nucleosides and nucleotides found in high quantities in sheep milk (at least 50x higher than those levels found in cow milk) have been linked to lower risks of cancer, better cell growth and oxidative stress throughout the body. This can prevent the oxidative stress of free radicals from causing healthy cells to mutate, which is one of the ways that cancer can begin to spread.
Birth Defects: Sheep milk contains a number of different B vitamins, including high levels of folate, which is extremely important for female reproductive health, as well as our overall metabolism. Folate deficiency is closely associated with neural tube defects, which can permanently impact the quality of life for your infant. Therefore, milk from a sheep can be a great way to balance your hormonal levels and ensure a healthy delivery!
Blood Pressure Issues: The concentration of key amino acids in sheep milk is higher than the levels found in cow, goat and buffalo milk, and these amino acids act in a similar way to certain blood pressure-mediating drugs. For people who prefer a natural approach to their health, this type ofmilk can be a good option for protecting heart health by reducing the strain on blood vessels and arteries.
Bone Mineral Density: As with all varieties of milk, sheep milk contains an impressive array of essential minerals, including zinc, magnesium and calcium. These are all important components for boosting bone mineral density in the body, which tends to decrease as we age. To prevent the onset of osteoporosis and ensure an active healthy lifestyle well into your old age, milk from sheep or its products can be an effective and delicious option. Sheep milk contains roughly twice as much calcium as cow and goat milk, protecting your bones and teeth!
Cholesterol Levels: It’s true that sheep milk contains nearly twice as much fat as cow milk, but it must be remembered that not all fats are bad. In fact, monounsaturated fats, like those found in sheep milk, can actually help to lower total cholesterol in the body. This can help to prevent the onset of certain cardiovascular conditions, such as atherosclerosis, heart attacks and strokes, as well as coronary heart disease. Medium-chain triglycerides also make up about 25% of the fat content in sheep milk, and these have been connected to reducing fat deposits in the body and improving the conversion of protein into energy.
Final Word of Warning: As mentioned above, sheep milk is quite high in fat, so if you are currently suffering from obesity or other weight-related conditions, using sheep milk as a source of your nutrients may not be the wisest choice. The higher level of calories in this alternative to cow milk can also make weight loss more difficult if you aren’t conscious of your intake. Speak with a medical professional or a nutritionist to ensure that changing to sheep milk is the best choice for your personal diet.
HERE ARE SIX FASCINATING FACTS AND HEALTH BENEFITS OF SHEEP MILK
From lower blood pressure, to stronger bones and glowing skin – read on to discover some fascinating facts and health benefits about this highly nutritious, yet remarkably little-known and less-utilised super food…
SHEEP MILK IS LOADED WITH VITAMINS AND MINERALS
Sheep milk is high in nutrients, even when compared to cow or goat milk. These nutrients are fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals, including:
Healthy Fats
Sheep Milk contains approximately a third more energy than Cow or Goat Milk, coming from the higher proportion of medium chain fatty acids which play a role in effective weight control by promoting satiety (feeling fuller for longer), reducing fat deposits, increasing energy and being more easily metabolised (turned into energy in the body) due to having smaller fat globules compared with Cow or Goat milk.
It’s also high (approx 45%) in monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats, including Omega 3 & 6 – known as ‘good fats’, which help our bodies absorb vitamins, lower cholesterol, inhibit cancer growth and encourage healthy bacteria that’s good for our guts too!
“Sheep Milk contains just the right ratio of fat, protein and carbohydrates, making it much easier to digest and helps your body absorb all the goodness.”
With around double the amount of fat compared with cow or goat milk, sheep milk is ideal for making yogurt and cheese. However, the high fat content quoted for sheep milk can be off-putting for some people. To counter this, there are a number of things to understand before condemning the milk to be skimmed before it becomes acceptable…
Vitamins and Mineral content
“Within the so-called “fats” are three fat-soluble vitamins (incorporated within the fat) without which you could be very ill if not dead. These are A, D and E. Sheep milk contains considerably more of these three vitamins than even cow or goat milk. The vitamin D load is 0.18 g/100g against summer cow milk at 0.04 g/100g”
– Source: British Nutritional Foundation
Sheep milk contains a rich source of calcium compared with other milks. More specifically, sheep milk contains lacto-calcium, which is a much more easily absorbed than the calcium carbonate found in other milks. The health benefits of a diet rich in calcium are vast, and it’s known to have positive effects on disorders like hypertension, osteoporosis, obesity and dental cavities. Calcium is also needed after any debilitating illness.
Together with lactose and vitamin D (almost twice as much vitamin D as cows milk), the calcium in sheep milk is vital in the fight against Osteoporosis, a scourge in both the UK and USA. Bone density is laid down in adolescence, so it’s vitally important for children going on into their teens to drink milk. Most soft drinks, so popular among the young, actually destroy bone density.
Other important vitamins and minerals in sheep milk include:
- Magnesium and Phosphorus, which help to restore nerve and muscle function, and support the health of bones and teeth;
- Zinc, essential for the maintenance of healthy skin;
- Vitamin B complex as well as A, D and E, all essential to good health and are most often recommended to be taken as a supplement;
- Folic Acid and B12, as above, these are sold as expensive supplements in every chemist and Health food shop!
“Two cups of sheep milk, or 93g of sheep cheese, provides the daily human requirement of calcium, riboflavin, and five of the 10 essential amino acids. One litre of sheep milk would provide the daily human requirements of protein, eight of the essential vitamins, calcium, phosphorus and several other essential minerals.” (Source)
SHEEP MILK IS HIGHER IN PROTEIN THAN COW OR GOAT MILK
This is great news for those who take health and fitness seriously! Studies have found sheep milk proteins have a slightly different structure to bovine (cow) proteins, which means they can decompose by reacting with water (called hydrolysation) faster than those found in cow’s milk.
Similarly, the whey proteins are a soluble, easily-digested form of protein found in all milks which does not get incorporated in cheese – instead, it slips out in the whey. Sheep milk is three times higher in this form of protein than cow or goat milk, making the whole milk easier to digest.
Casein proteins are insoluble and also found in sheep milk; but little work has really been done on them in sheep specifically, whereas Lamb is often the most recommended meat for people with intolerance to meat. Now here’s the science bit: There are two types of beta-casein protein found naturally occurring in cow milk – A1 and A2. The A1 type is largely attributed to be the cause of common digestive issues in humans, such as lactose intolerance. Interestingly, sheep’s milk (along with human breast milk) contains the A2 type protein which is believed to be more easily digested.
SHEEP MILK IS GOOD FOR ALLERGY SUFFERERS AND THOSE WITH INTOLERANCES
Allergic reactions can be deadly, and intolerances can make one’s life miserable.
As sheep milk is more readily digestible, this helps people who suffer from lactose intolerance. Evidence suggests it can also help people with asthma, eczema and other allergies, potentially due to its high zinc content, and high levels of compounds such as nucleosides / nucleotides, which promote healthy cell growth and have an anti-inflammatory effect in the gut. Sheep milk is especially rich with these compounds, with levels nearly 100 times higher than cow milk.
“For those who are severely lactose intolerant, the lactose will have been converted into lactic acid by the time it becomes cheese, and if they take their sheep milk in the form of yogurt, much of the lactose goes out with the whey in hard cheese making”
SHEEP’S MILK IS NATURALLY ALKALINE
The benefit of alkaline rich foods is said to lie in the body’s ability to absorb vitamins and nutrients and strengthen the immune system. Acid-rich foods are said to disrupt the body and the blood’s pH level, leading to mineral loss (like Calcium) and increase the susceptibility to illness.
WHY SHEEP’S MILK?
- Sheep milk has a higher nutritional value and higher concentrations of proteins, fats, minerals, and vitamins, compared to cow’s milk.
- Because of the unique properties of sheep’s milk, many with digestive challenges or who are sensitive to cow’s milk, can eat sheep’s dairy products
- Sheep’s milk contains the protein A2 β-casein compared to A1 β-casein the type of protein found in cows milk in Ireland. A1 β-casein has been shown to cause inflammation of the gut and exacerbated gastrointestinal symptoms, which can result in acne, eczema, bloating etc.
- Many people who think they are lactose intolerant are actually not they are intolerant to the protein in cow dairy
- People often prefer sheep’s milk to plant based alternatives. They may be using dairy free options, but are delighted to find that sheep’s milk which is still dairy, suits them.
- In Ireland, most of the plant based alternatives, are produced thousands of miles away, therefore have a high carbon footprint by the time they reach Ireland, and so many people prefer to choose a more sustainable option.
- Sheep’s milk is naturally homogenized, this means that the fat globules float naturally in the milk and don’t need mechanical processing to homogenize them.
- People often ask, what does sheep’s milk taste like? When they try it the common response is, that it is much creamier and has a milder taste, than cow or goat.
- Sheep’s milk has higher levels of “heart healthy fats” (or what in food chemistry we call “polar lipids”) compared to cow’s milk.
WHY SHEEP’S MILK IS SO NUTRITIOUS?
Gram for gram, the superiority of sheep’s milk lies in the comparison with cow and goat milk – especially in the differences between levels of critical nutritional aspects like
- Protein
- Calcium
- Iron
- Magnesium
- Zinc
- Thiamine
- Riboflavin
- Vitamins B6
- B12 and D
- The medium chain amino acids
- Linoleic acids and all 10 of the essential amino acids
Sheep’s milk contains about one third more energy than cow or goat milk (making it a favourite of high-performance athletes). It has 70% – 80% more protein and a higher proportion of heat healthy fats, vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus and zinc, while being lower in sodium. It has more than twice as much Vitamin C, and double or triple the other essential vitamins. It also has more folic acid (folate).
People who are intolerant, find they can’t digest, or simply don’t like cow or goat milk, often find that sheep’s milk products are the only dairy they can enjoy.
Many people feel they are lactose intolerant, and therefore avoid dairy. However most are actually intolerant to the A1 protein in cow dairy and not the lactose. Sheep’s milk has a different protein to cow’s milk, sheep’s milk contains A2 protein, which many people can tolerate better, and this is why they can digest sheep’s milk without any adverse reactions.
More and more studies are being carried out on sheep’s milk, one of the most recent is from 2021 in The International Journal Of Molecular Science.
The paper called: The Importance Of Bioactive Substances In Sheep’s Milk In Human Health by Zuzanna Flis & Edyta Molik , dicusses the fact that sheep’s milk has been shown to be an important source of bioactive substances. These bioactive substances that have health-promoting functions for the body. This is due to the high content of fatty acids, immunoglobulins, proteins, hormones, vitamins, and minerals. The paper goes on to discuss how many biopeptides found in sheep’s milk have antibacterial, antiviral, and anti-inflammatory properties.
There are also strong claims in the paper relating the content of CLA and orotic acid in Sheep’s Milk which prevents the occurrence of type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, and cancer.
DR AMUL SHEKHAWAT, JAIPUR
REFERENCES:
Organic Facts; https://www.organicfacts.net
https://www.mdpi.com/1422-0067/22/9/4364/htm
http://www.heliyon.com/article/e00227/
http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/1541-4337.12250/full
http://www.smallruminantresearch.com/article/S0921-4488(06)00254-9/abstract
