How does the protein in cow's milk compare to the protein in human milk?

Human milk is rich in the lipid needed for rapid brain growth, and it is low in protein. Cow's milk is the reverse, with three times as much protein as human milk. Much of this protein is casein, which is fine to spur a calf's rapid muscle growth but forms hard-to-digest curds in a human baby's stomach. The protein in human milk has a better balance of essential amino acids than does the protein in cow's milk.

Colostrom (the first milk a human woman produces) is actually higher in protein, minerals, vitamin A, and nitrogen than cow's milk is. Colostrum coats the baby's stomach and intestines to help ward off harmful diseases such as polio and pneumonia, and helps the baby pass meconium - a tarry substance that accumulates in the intestines. Also, cells in colostrum called macrophages destroy potentially dangerous bacteria.

Breast milk provides the brain-cell builder taurine. While taurine is not an essential amino acid, its high concentration in breast milk does seem to indicate a need that cannot be met by the child's own body. But how much taurine is in formula or cow's milk? None! Yet extremely high levels of this "smart" substance are found in the brains of children, indicating that it is an important aid to brain growth. Ninety-six per cent of brain growth occurs by the age of five years.