Effects of Raw and Pasteurized Camel Milk on Metabolic Responses in Pigs Fed a High-Fat Diet.

Abstract

Simple SummaryCamel milk (CM) contains insulin-like peptides and is high in vitamin C, vitamin E, and antioxidants. Previous studies in diabetic mice and humans have demonstrated a positive impact of CM consumption on glycemic balance, potentially greater than that observed for the consumption of bovine milk. Thus, CM may be a viable therapeutic treatment for diabetic humans, although the mode of action of these effects are not yet understood. This experiment used a high-fat diet as a monogastric model to examine the effect of CM consumption (raw or pasteurized) on some key blood metabolic markers and examined responses to an in vitro glucose tolerance test. While the results are preliminary given the low number of animals, this experiment suggested that CM can improve glycemic control, potentially via a tighter control of insulin effectiveness and/or uptake.Evidence suggests that camel milk (CM) can have insulin-like actions, although the mode of action is not understood. Using the pig as a monogastric model, this pilot experiment examined the effects of CM consumption on metabolic responses to an in vitro glucose tolerance test (IVGTT). Twenty female Large White × Landrace pigs were individually housed for 6 wks and randomly allocated to one of the following four diets (fed ad libitum; n = 5): control (Con); high fat (HF; ~16% fat); raw CM (the HF diet plus 500 mL CM/ day); or pasteurized CM (PCM). Blood samples were collected on two occasions (weeks 2 and 5). At week 6, the pigs were fitted with an ear vein cannula and the following day an in vitro glucose tolerance test (IVGTT) was conducted (0.3 g/kg BW glucose). Plasma fatty acids and cholesterol concentrations were greater in the pigs fed the HF diet and greatest in those fed CM, while there was no effect of diet on insulin concentrations. The pigs fed CM tended to have a reduced peak insulin (p = 0.058) and an increased glucose nadir (p = 0.009) in response to the IVGTT. These preliminary results tend to support the hypothesis that feeding CM can improve glycemic control in pigs.