What are the nutritional benefits of drinking moose milk?

What is in moose milk?

Studies of moose milk are few and mostly old, and they are done on small numbers of animals. A 1994 study of captive moose in the Canadian Journal of Zoology reported that at peak milk output the milk averaged about 20.5% dry matter, 7.9% fat, 7.2% protein and 3.7% carbohydrate. A recent review of deer-family milks (not moose alone) reports fat from roughly 7 to 19.7 g per 100 g and protein from about 6.8 to 10.6 g, depending on the stage of lactation and the mother’s feed, and groups moose among the most nutrient-dense. Cow milk has roughly 3 to 4 g of fat and about 3.3 g of protein per 100 g, so moose milk is about two or more times richer.

How does it compare with cow milk?

Composition changes a lot with how long the animal has been nursing, so no single number fits all samples.

Is moose milk healthy?

• It is high in calories, fat and protein per serving, which is why it suits a growing calf.
• Researchers describe it as very concentrated compared with cow milk, but no official body lists specific nutrition benefits for people.
• Stories about it speeding recovery from illness are tradition or opinion, not established medical fact. We found no official health claim for it.

Can you actually buy it?

Almost never. Moose are wild animals, a disturbed moose may stop letting down milk, and only a few farms milk them, such as an experimental farm in Kostroma, Russia, and a Swedish farm known for moose cheese. Be careful with products called moose milk: the name is also used for a cocktail-style drink, which has nothing to do with the animal.

Safety

Raw milk from any animal can carry germs, so only drink milk that has been pasteurized and sold under food safety rules. If you are pregnant, immunocompromised or caring for a child, ask a health professional.

This is general information, not medical advice.