Camel Milk and Diabetes

We are often asked about how Camel Milk or reconstituted Camel Milk Powder can be of benefit to those struggling with Type 1 and Type 2 diabetes. Diabetes mellitus (or as commonly known, diabetes) is a condition where the pancreas doesn’t produce enough insulin to control the amount of glucose, or sugar, in the blood. Articles frequently appear on health websites touting the benefits of Camel Milk and its therapeutic benefits for diabetes, and population studies in traditional Camel herding communities have shown a remarkable lack of diabetes in those who regularly consume camel milk¹. Other studies have shown that while the results are all highly promising, research needs to move from basic research to more rigorous clinical studies to allow camel milk’s therapeutic value in diabetes treatment and management to become clearer. A recent study released from the University of Melbourne has been an exciting development for research in Australia.

For now, here is a summary of where some of the research is at ...  

In 2017 a review was conducted by researchers from Iran of all clinical trials and animal studies up to 2015 which focused on the effects of Camel Milk on diabetes markers. The studies that they included all needed to meet strict quality requirements, and the paper “Camel Milk Has Beneficial Effects on Diabetes Mellitus: A Systematic Review” was published in the International Journal of Endocrinology & Metabolism².  

The researchers qualified 11 animal studies and 11 clinical trials. Ten of the animal studies showed significant reductions in diabetes markers. In the clinical trials, with a dose of 500ml of camel milk per day, all trials led to significant improvement of diabetes markers, some within 3 months.  

So how does this work? Camel milk has an insulin-like protein which does not form coagulum in the the acidic environment of the stomach and it also contains a high concentration of insulin. Camel milk also contains large concentrations of immunoglobulin, lactoferrin, lactoperoxidase, and peptidoglycan recognition protein, all of which have biological and pharmacological properties³.  

Some definitions:  

The following table summarises some of the experimental findings of Mirmiran et al with regard to the effectiveness of Camel Milk in animal trials:

Overall, camel milk treatment led to improvements in blood glucose, serum insulin, and lipid profile in diabetic animals.  

Human clinical trials, investigating the effects of Camel Milk on Type 2 diabetes mellitus are summarised: 

*The hamoglobin A1c test tells the average level of blood sugar over the past 2-3 months  

This table summarises the findings of more recent clinical human trials, on the effects of camel milk on Type 1 diabetes mellitus.  

Dr Amal Bakr Shori from Saudi Arabia completed a similar study in 2016¹¹. In this study she concluded that Camel Milk had a powerful effect in reducing blood glucose levels and insulin requirements, it limited diabetic complications and was effective in wound healing. Further in vitro and in vivo studies were highly recommended.

Most recently, in 2021, a study was published in the Journal of Dairy Science, from researchers at the United Arab Emirates University, entitled “Molecular basis of the anti-diabetic properties of camel milk through profiling of its bioactive peptides on dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and insulin receptor activity”. In short, the researchers here were attempting to shed more light on the above results, working out the how and why of the mechanism by which camel milk could achieve the observed positive benefits. They believe that one of the pathways revolved around the actions of the Camel Whey Protein on the human insulin receptors, and the subsequent pathway regulating glucose homeostasis (the balance of insulin and glucagon to maintain blood glucose)¹².  

One of the most prolific researchers in this area is RP Agrawal, Senior Professor of Medicine and head of the Diabetes Care and Research Centre, in Rajasthan, India who has carried out multiple studies over the past twenty years. As camel milk is traditionally consumed in India, Africa and the Middle East, long term studies do tend to come from universities and medical centres from these areas.  

An exciting Australian development has seen the publication of research from the University of Melbourne which shows that camel milk exhibits insulinogenic properties in pigs. Because pigs have many points of similarity with humans in diabetes development and symptoms, studies that use pigs are more likely to contribute to the knowledge base on the treatment of diabetes in humans, and measures of complications from diabetes¹³. The Melbourne study has reported results¹⁴ that suggest that Camel Milk is improving insulin effectiveness and uptake, and also is acting as a source of insulin. Additionally, the study found no significant difference between the effects of Raw or Pasteurised Camel Milk. This research is invaluable for the camel milk industry in Australia.  

Another clinical trial, looking at the effects of camel milk on insulin response is currently underway by Dr N Lessan and Dr A Buckley, endocrinologists at the Imperial College London Diabetes Centre in Abu Dhabi, UAE. Preliminary findings from Lessan and Buckley have highlighted that variability in the quality of the milk and individual response factors will play an important part in their conclusions, but that it appears that the composition of camel milk offers particular anti-diabetic properties¹⁵.  

To conclude, the research finds a consistent positive effect from adding 500ml of camel milk per day to the human (or animal) diet for those affected by diabetes mellitus. (However, Patients with type 1 diabetes are strongly advised against treating camel milk as complete insulin substitute¹⁶). The precise mechanism of how these results arise is still being studied, and as resources become available to researchers to do so, we will find out more about the benefits of camel milk in preventing and treating diabetes mellitus. 

Last updated: 4 August 2022