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Research on donkey milk · Study 26
Donkey milk, human milk & cow’s milk – what a direct comparison shows.
Three types of milk, four weeks and an unusual scientific comparison: researchers examined in rats how donkey milk, human milk and cow’s milk were related to glucose metabolism, inflammatory mediators, fat metabolism and mitochondrial function.
Important: The study was carried out in rats. The results show biological differences within this animal model but do not prove a corresponding effect of donkey milk in humans or any effect of DON DONKEY’S® products.
The research question
What happens when not just milk against control – but milk against milk – is examined?
This is exactly what makes this study particularly interesting. Instead of only asking whether donkey milk causes certain biological changes, the scientists compared several types of milk with one another.
Rats received cow’s milk, donkey milk or human milk for four weeks. The research team then examined, among other things, glucose tolerance, insulin resistance, inflammatory mediators, mitochondrial function, oxidative status and lipid parameters.
This was not a simple test of a single ingredient but a comparison of different milk matrices and their relationships with several metabolic pathways.
Side by side
Three types of milk. One metabolic model.
Particularly relevant was not only the question of what happened with donkey milk, but how the measured parameters behaved compared with the cow’s milk group.
Donkey Milk
Compared with the cow’s milk group, the donkey milk group differed in several examined parameters of glucose and fat metabolism, inflammatory mediators and mitochondrial measures.
Research focusHuman Milk
The human milk group also showed a different pattern from the cow’s milk group in several examined metabolic and inflammatory parameters.
Comparison groupCow Milk
The cow’s milk group served as the central milk comparison. Differences of the donkey and human milk groups compared with it were described for several metabolic parameters.
Reference milkThe striking comparison
Donkey milk and human milk showed similar directions in several measures.
Rather, the study showed that the donkey milk and human milk groups differed from the cow’s milk group in several metabolic, inflammatory and mitochondrial parameters. Neither full biological equivalence of the types of milk nor a corresponding effect in humans can be derived from this.
What was measured?
The researchers did not look at a single marker but at a whole network.
The scientific value of the work lies above all in looking at different metabolic and inflammatory processes at the same time.
Glucose & insulin
Glucose tolerance and insulin resistance were examined. The donkey and human milk groups differed from the cow’s milk group in several measures.
Inflammatory mediators
The researchers analysed inflammation-related signalling substances and reported differences between the milk groups.
Lipid accumulation
The storage and processing of lipids in the tissues examined was also part of the analysis.
Mitochondria
Mitochondrial function was examined to capture changes in cellular energy processing between the groups.
Redox balance
The study also included markers of oxidative metabolism in the overall assessment.
OEA
Oleoylethanolamide – OEA for short – was examined in liver and skeletal muscle and discussed as a possible component of the observed metabolic response.
An illustrative measurement
Different weight development in the animal model.
Body weight development also differed between the milk groups. This finding is interesting but must not be understood as a statement that donkey milk leads to a particular weight change in humans.
Donkey milk as a food
Understand the research. Discover donkey milk for yourself.
Scientists study donkey milk from very different perspectives. DON DONKEY’S® makes donkey milk available as a food. Our product was not the subject of this study, which is why no corresponding effect of our product is derived from the study results.
Deeper into metabolism
Mitochondria and OEA came into particular focus.
Mitochondria are central sites of cellular energy production. The researchers therefore examined whether the different milk groups were associated with changes in mitochondrial function in skeletal muscle.
At the same time, they looked at oleoylethanolamide, OEA for short – an endogenous lipid signalling molecule associated with processes of energy and fat metabolism.
The authors reported increased OEA levels in liver and muscle and discussed OEA as a possible component of the observed metabolic changes.
Oleoylethanolamide was examined as a possible link between food intake, lipid metabolism and the observed metabolic changes. This shows a possible mechanism – but not clinical proof of efficacy.
Scientifically classified
What the study shows – and what it does not.
What was observed
- Rats received cow’s, donkey or human milk for four weeks.
- The donkey and human milk groups differed from the cow’s milk group in several metabolic parameters.
- Glucose tolerance and insulin resistance were examined.
- Inflammatory mediators and lipid parameters were part of the analysis.
- The researchers examined mitochondrial function.
- OEA levels in liver and skeletal muscle were considered as a possible mechanistic factor.
What was not proven
- The study does not prove a corresponding metabolic effect in humans.
- It does not show that donkey milk can treat diabetes, overweight or inflammation.
- Similar measurement patterns do not mean that donkey milk and human milk are identical.
- No effective consumption amount for humans can be derived from the rat model.
- The study did not examine any DON DONKEY’S® products.
DON DONKEY’S®
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk
100 % pure donkey milk
Would you like to get to know donkey milk not only as a subject of scientific research? Discover DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk as a food here.
- 100 % pure donkey milk
- Available as a food
- Various sizes on the product page
- Directly from DON DONKEY’S®
- Not a medicinal product and not a medical treatment
The scientific study presented here was not carried out with DON DONKEY’S® products. The results come from an animal model and do not constitute a statement on the prevention, treatment or cure of any disease by this food.
Original publication
The study behind this page
Trinchese G, Cavaliere G, De Filippo C, et al.
Human Milk and Donkey Milk, Compared to Cow Milk, Reduce Inflammatory Mediators and Modulate Glucose and Lipid Metabolism, Acting on Mitochondrial Function and Oleylethanolamide Levels in Rat Skeletal Muscle.
Frontiers in Physiology. 2018;9:32.
DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2018.00032 ↗
This page summarises the scientific results in plain language. It is preclinical research in rats. The results must not be understood as proof of a corresponding effect in humans.