Davis Study: Genetically Modified Goats' Milk Speeds Diarrhea Recovery

DAVIS (CBS13) - A new UC Davis study shows drinking goat's milk promotes a much speedier recovery from diarrhea.

Milk from goats that were genetically modified to produce higher levels of the antimicrobial protein lysozyme -- found in human breast milk -- has proven effective in treating diarrhea in young pigs, which demonstrates the potential benefit for humans. It's effective against bacterial infections in the gastro-intestinal tract.

Researchers hope that the milk may help prevent human diarrheal diseases, which claims the lives of millions of children around the world each year.

"The main reason we think it'll be useful in the third world is a lot of people don't realize that 1.8 million children die of the consequences of diarrhea," said James Murray, a UC Davis animal science professor and lead researcher on the study.

Researchers say delivering milk in powdered form could be a cost-effective way to combat these child deaths.

Pigs were chosen for the study because their gastrointestinal physiology is similar to humans, and produce a moderate amount of lysozyme in their milk.