Goat and cow milk differ in altering the microbiota composition and neurotransmitter levels in insomnia mouse models.

Milk can improve sleep, and the effects of different animal milks vary. Accordingly, we evaluated the effectiveness of goat milk and cow milk in alleviating insomnia. The findings demonstrated that both goat milk and cow milk significantly increased the length of time that mice with insomnia slept compared to the model group and lowered the relative abundance of , -, and in these mice. A notable finding was that goat milk considerably increased the relative abundance of , , , and , whereas cow milk dramatically increased the relative abundance of and . Diazepam therapy could lengthen the slumber of mice; however, analysis of bacteria indicated that although the relative abundance of dangerous bacteria such as , , , and increased, that of and decreased. Both and experienced a large increase in relative abundance. Additionally, goat milk provided efficient restoration of neurotransmitters including 5-HT, GABA, DA, and NE. Besides that, the expression of genes and proteins for CREB, BDNF, and TrkB in the hypothalamus was up-regulated, and the pathophysiology of the hypothalamus was improved. Overall, the effects of goat and cow milk on insomnia in mouse models differed, and goat milk is preferred over cow milk.