Camel Milk Used as an Adjuvant Therapy to Treat Type 2 Diabetic Patients: Effects on Blood Glucose, HbA1c, Cholesterol, and TG Levels

Abstract

The efficacy of camel milk to treat diabetes has been shown recently, especially in experimental animals and in patients with diabetes type 1 (T1DM), whereas studies on patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are limited. In this clinical trial, 60 patients with T2DM who used oral antidiabetic drugs were assigned into two groups; group 1 received—in addition to the antidiabetic prescribed medicines—500 mL of raw camel milk divided equally two times/day (fasting in the morning and the night) for three months. Group 2 was treated during the same period only by the oral antidiabetic medicaments without consumption of camel milk. A significant decrease was shown in fasting blood glucose (FBG) (from 9.89 ± 0.98 to 6.13 ± 0.55 mmol/L) and postprandial glucose (PPG) (from 15.89 ± 4.34 to 7.44 ± 1.02 mmol/L) in the group 1. A significant decline (P<0.05) in HbA1c levels was observed in the group treated with camel milk (from 9.44 ± 0.16 to 6.61 ± 0.14%, with a percentage decrease of 30%). Total cholesterol and TG significantly decreased in group 1. Urea and creatinine showed no statistical differences between the two groups during the trial. Based on this study’s results, camel milk could be useful for glycemic control in T2DM patients using oral hypoglycemic agents.