Effect of camel milk on glycemic control and insulin requirement in patients with type 1 diabetes: 2-years randomized controlled trial

• Published in: European journal of clinical nutrition 2011-09, Vol.65 (9), p.1048-1052
• Main Authors: Agrawal, R P, Jain, S, Shah, S, Chopra, A, Agarwal, V
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 692/699/2743/137/1418; 692/700/565/2072; Adolescent; Adult; Animals; Antibodies; Biological and medical sciences; Blood; Blood glucose; Blood Glucose - analysis; Camel's milk; Camelus; Child; Clinical Nutrition; Clinical trials; Diabetes; Diabetes mellitus (insulin dependent); Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 - diet therapy; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 - diet therapy; Diabetes. Impaired glucose tolerance; Diabetics; Endocrine pancreas. Apud cells (diseases); Endocrinopathies; Epidemiology; Etiopathogenesis. Screening. Investigations. Target tissue resistance; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Glucose; Glycated Hemoglobin A - analysis; Glycoproteins; Health aspects; Hemoglobin; Humans; Hypoglycemic Agents - administration & dosage; Insulin; Insulin - blood; Insulin Antibodies - blood; Internal Medicine; Medical sciences; Medicine; Medicine & Public Health; Metabolic Diseases; Milk; original-article; Patients; Physiological aspects; Public Health; Reduction; Type 1 diabetes; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Young Adult
• ISSN: 0954-3007; 1476-5640
• DOI: 10.1038/ejcn.2011.98

Background/Objectives: Hypoglycemic effect of camel milk supplementation in experimental rat model and significant reduction in doses of insulin in type 1 diabetic patients have been observed in our previous studies. This long-term study was undertaken to assess the efficacy, safety and acceptability of camel milk as an adjunct to insulin therapy in type 1 diabetics. Subjects/Methods: In this 2-year randomized clinical, parallel design study, 24 type 1 diabetics were enrolled and divided into two groups. Group I ( n =12) received usual care, that is, diet, exercise and insulin and Group II ( n =12) received 500 ml camel milk in addition to the usual care. Insulin requirement was titrated weekly by blood glucose estimation. Results were analyzed by using the regression technique. Results: In camel milk group, there was decrease in mean blood glucose (118.58±19–93.16±17.06 mg/dl), hemoglobin A1c levels (7.81±1.39–5.44±0.81%) and insulin doses (32.50±9.99–17.50±12.09 U/day, P