Effect of camel milk in asthmatic children: A double‐blind randomized pilot study

Abstract

Objective Asthma is one of the prevalent diseases in children. There is some evidence regarding the benefits of camel milk in asthma. The present study was carried out to evaluate the effect of camel milk on asthmatic children. Patients and Methods A randomized double‐blind pilot study was operated in 2018 in a tertiary center. Sixty children aged more than 6 years with not well‐controlled asthma were included. The intervention was consisting of 200‐ml camel milk or placebo daily for 2 months. The medication regimen and spirometry parameters were assessed before and after the intervention. Data were analyzed using SPSS software. Results A total of 57 patients completed the trial. Patients were similar in demographic and baseline characteristics (p > 0.05). There was a significant difference between groups after intervention in use of inhaled corticosteroids (96.7% vs. 70.4%, p value = 0.01), short‐acting beta‐agonists (53.3% vs. 29.6%, p value = 0.0001) and long‐acting beta‐agonists (53.3% vs. 40.7%, p value = 0.04) in control and intervention, respectively. The percent of changes in forced expiratory volume (FEV1) in the control and intervention groups was 18.54 ± 14.89 and 21.89 ± 17.83, respectively (p = 0.19). The percent of changes in FEV1/forced vital capacity (FVC) in the control and intervention groups was 8.11 ± 7.12 and 11.11 ± 8.33, respectively (p = 0.14). Conclusion In our pilot study, some children with asthma may benefit from camel milk. Further studies would be useful to evaluate this hypothesis.

Camel Milk Processing Opportunities: A Review

“…This effect has been noted in humans, rats [79,80], and alloxan-induced diabetic dogs [81]. Furthermore, several studies have demonstrated the potential therapeutic effects of camel milk in treating rheumatoid arthritis and asthma [82,83]. These findings suggest that camel milk consumption may elicit anti-inflammatory actions and could be used as an adjunctive therapeutic approach for managing these conditions.…”

Pediatric pulmonology 2022 year in review: Asthma

“…Patients ( n = 30) were provided 200 mL of camel's milk to drink daily for 2 months, and 30 patients were provided cow's milk as a placebo. There was a statistically significant improvement in the reported symptoms and a decrease in the use of short‐acting beta agonists in the study group 15 . This improvement was postulated to be secondary to higher content of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti‐inflammatory properties in camel's milk.…”

“…There was a statistically significant improvement in the reported symptoms and a decrease in the use of short-acting beta agonists in the study group. 15 This improvement was postulated to be secondary to higher content of immunoglobulin G (IgG) and anti-inflammatory properties in camel's milk. Of note, there were no significant differences in spirometry values between the two groups.…”