Effect of camel milk on blood sugar and lipid profile of patients with type 2 diabetes: a pilot clinical trial.
BACKGROUND
It has been shown that camel milk consumption has a definite decreasing effect on the prevalence of diabetes. However, most of these studies were conducted on patients with type 1 diabetes, whereas studies on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are limited. In vitro experiments have shown that camel milk was able to decrease blood glucose concentration.


OBJECTIVE
The purpose of this study was to investigate effects of camel and cow milk on blood sugar, lipid profile, and blood pressure of patients with T2DM.


METHODS
In a randomized single-blinded controlled clinical trial, 20 patients with T2DM were randomly allocated into two groups. Participants consumed 500 mL of either camel milk (intervention group) or cow milk (control group) daily for two months.


RESULTS
Mean of insulin concentration was significantly increased from 64.59 to 84.03 pmol/L in the camel milk group during the study (P < 0.05). No significant differences were shown in fasting blood sugar, lipid profile, and blood pressure between the two groups at the end of study. There was significant increase in homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) during the study in both groups, but no significant difference was seen between the two groups.


CONCLUSIONS
Camel milk increased insulin level in patients with T2DM and might contribute to glycemic control in T2DM.
Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Hanieh Sadat
HS
Ejtahed
Department of Theriogenology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Tehran, Tehran, IR Iran.
Amir
A
Niasari Naslaji
Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran ; Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetic, Faculty of Nutrition Sciences and Food Technology, National Nutrition and Food Technology Research Institute, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Parvin
P
Mirmiran
Obesity Research Center, Nutrition and Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Maryam
M
Zraif Yeganeh
Cellular and Molecular Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Mehdi
M
Hedayati
Endocrine Research Center, Research Institute for Endocrine Sciences, Shahid Beheshti University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, IR Iran.
Fereidoun
F
Azizi
Institute of Biochemistry and Biophysics, University of Tehran, Tehran, IR Iran.
Aliakbar
A
Moosavi Movahedi
Camel; Insulin; Milk; Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus