Cow\u2019s milk is rich in energy, protein, and calcium, making it a valuable component of the diet for adults and children. However, it is not suitable as a substitute for breast milk during the first year of life. It contains less iron than human milk, and the small amount it does have is poorly absorbed due to interference from calcium and casein at the intestinal level. Additionally, because its proteins are less digestible than those in breast milk, cow\u2019s milk can cause colitis and minor bleeding in the intestinal mucosa in infants, leading to hidden blood loss in the stool and a further depletion of iron stores.<\/p>\n
Several studies have shown that infants fed primarily with cow\u2019s milk during their first year of life are at greater risk of iron deficiency compared to those fed with human milk or infant formula (15).<\/strong><\/p>\n\t\t