Therapeutic Effect of Camel Milk in Children with Autism: Its Impact on Serum Levels of Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide

Abstract

Background: Camel milk (CAM) regulates the inflammatory process, apoptotic pathways and oxidative stress. Thus, it is a therapeutic possibility for many autoimmune disorders, including autism. Vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) is an anti-inflammatory peptide that facilitates the immune regulatory functions by recruiting regulatory T cells to induce immune tolerance and prevent the occurrence of autoimmunity. This study aimed to investigate the effect of CAM consumption on both serum VIP levels and the severity of autism assessed by measuring the Childhood Autism Rating Scale (CARS). Mehods: Sixty-five autistic children, aged between 3-12 years, were studied. Forty-seven patients received 500 mL of CAM (either raw "24 patients" or boiled "23 patients") in their regular daily diet for two weeks. Eighteen patients received 500 mL of cow milk for two weeks. For all patients, CARS and serum VIP levels were assessed before and after milk consumption. Results: Although there was a decrease in CARS scores in patients who received raw CAM, this decrease was non-significant (P=0.070). Serum VIP levels were increased in patients who consumed CAM, either raw (P=0.076) or boiled (P=0.065), but this increase was non-significant. Conclusions: CAM consumption for 2 weeks neither significantly decreased the severity of autism nor increased serum anti-inflammatory VIP levels. The lack of a significant response to CAM in this study may be attributable to the short duration of CAM consumption. Further studies are required to investigate the effect of CAM consumption for a longer duration on serum VIP levels and the severity of autism.