Effect of camel milk on lipid profile among patients with diabetes: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression of randomized controlled trials

Abstract

The effects of camel milk (CM) intake on lipid profile among patients with diabetes remain controversial. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) aimed to calculate the effect size of CM intake on blood lipids among patients with type 1 (T1D) and type 2 (T2D) diabetes. We searched nine databases from inception until December 31, 2022, to identify relevant RCTs. Effect sizes for total cholesterol (TC), triglycerides (TG), low-density lipoprotein (LDL), very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL), and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) were calculated and expressed using mean differences (MD) and confidence intervals (CI). Of 4,054 retrieved articles, 10 RCTs (a total of 347 participants aged 8-70 years, 60.5% male) were eligible for inclusion. The pooled results from a random-effects model showed statistically significant decreases in TC (MD - 21.69, 95% CI: 41.05, - 2.33; p = 0.03; I²=99%), TG (MD - 19.79, 95% CI: -36.16, - 3.42; p=0.02, I²=99%), and LDL (MD -11.92, CI: -20.57, -3.26; p = 0.007, I²=88%), and a significant increase in HDL (MD 10.37, 95% CI, 1.90, 18.84; p=0.02, I²=95%) in patients with diabetes supplemented with CM compared with usual care alone. Subgroup analysis revealed that only long-term interventions (> 6 months) elicited a significant reduction in TC levels and TG levels. Consumption of fresh CM by patients with diabetes resulted in significant reductions in TC, TG, and LDL levels, while showing a significant increase in HDL levels. Patients with T1D elicited a more beneficial effect in lowering TC, LDL, and TG levels and in increasing HDL levels than their corresponding partners with T2D. In conclusion, long-term consumption of CM for patients with diabetes, especially those with T1D, could be a useful adjuvant therapy to improve lipid profile alongside prescribed medications. However, the high heterogeneity in the included studies suggests that more RCTs with larger sample sizes and longer intervention durations are required to improve the robustness of the available evidence.

Keywords: Arabian camel; Camelus dromedarius; Cardiometabolic markers; Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM); Dyslipidemia; Hypercholesterolemia; Milk.

Fig. 1

PRISMA flowchart diagram for study selection on the effect of camel milk on lipid profile in patients with diabetes

Fig. 2

Summary of bias risk for each included study (N = 10); (b) risk of bias graph showing the percentage of bias risk for each included study. Green: low bias risk, Yellow: unclear bias risk, and Red: high bias risk

Fig. 3

Forest plot for the effect of camel milk intake on total cholesterol (TC)

Fig. 4

Forest plot for the effect of camel milk intake on triglycerides (TG)

Fig. 5

Forest plot for the effect of camel milk intake on low-density lipoprotein (LDL)

Fig. 6

Forest plot for the effect of camel milk intake on high-density lipoprotein (HDL)