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Research on donkey milk · Study 25
Donkey milk in a type 2 diabetes model – what the research shows.
What happens when donkey milk powder is examined over four weeks in a preclinical diabetes model? A study in diabetic rats found differences in blood glucose, insulin resistance, antioxidant defence and key genes of glucose metabolism.
Important: This is preclinical research, not a clinical study in humans. The results do not demonstrate treatment or prevention of diabetes by donkey milk or any corresponding effect of DON DONKEY’S® products.
The research question
Not just “What is in donkey milk?” – but: what happens in metabolism?
Many studies on donkey milk first deal with its composition. This study went a step further. The researchers combined a simulated digestion of donkey milk proteins with investigations on damaged insulin-producing beta cells and a diabetic rat model.
Several levels were looked at simultaneously: blood glucose, insulin resistance, antioxidant defence, beta cell viability and genes involved in glucose production in the liver.
The key results
Several metabolic markers moved at the same time.
After four weeks, the donkey milk group in the diabetic rat model showed differences from the diabetes control in several parameters examined.
On average about 22.18 mmol/L in the diabetes control compared with around 14.23 mmol/L in the donkey milk group (rat model).
The HOMA-IR index was approximately 112.16 in the diabetes control and 74.94 in the donkey milk group. In the model, this is consistent with lower insulin resistance.
Superoxide dismutase rose from approximately 193.20 to 265.87 U/L.
Expression of PCK1 was down-regulated. The gene encodes PEPCK and plays an important role in gluconeogenesis in the liver.
G6PC was also down-regulated. G6PC encodes glucose-6-phosphatase and is likewise a key factor in hepatic glucose production and release.
Damaged insulin-producing beta cells showed improved viability. However, a corresponding direct increase in insulin secretion was not shown as the main mechanism.
From research subject to food
Donkey milk is not just a scientific sample.
While research groups examine which properties donkey milk and its individual components have, we make donkey milk available as a food. DON DONKEY’S® products were not the subject of this study. We therefore do not derive any therapeutic effect of our product from the results.
The interesting mechanism
Why PCK1 and G6PC are particularly interesting.
This chain of effects is a mechanistically plausible interpretation of the study findings. It does not prove that a particular component of donkey milk causally changed PCK1 or G6PC.
A second notable finding
Lysozyme remained remarkably stable during simulated digestion.
In addition to the metabolic parameters, the researchers examined what happens to various donkey milk proteins during simulated gastrointestinal digestion.
Lysozyme and α-lactalbumin were among the particularly stable proteins. More than 93 % remained detectable.
An important limitation must be noted: a detectable amount of protein is not automatically the same as preserved enzymatic activity.
Scientifically classified
What the study shows – and what it does not.
What was observed
- In the diabetic rat model, donkey milk powder was associated with lower blood glucose values.
- The HOMA-IR index was lower in the donkey milk group.
- The antioxidant superoxide dismutase was higher.
- PCK1 and G6PC were down-regulated.
- Lysozyme and α-lactalbumin showed high detectability after simulated digestion.
What was not proven
- The study does not prove an antidiabetic effect of donkey milk in humans.
- It does not show that donkey milk can treat, cure or prevent diabetes.
- It was not proven that lysozyme caused the observed metabolic changes.
- The study did not examine any DON DONKEY’S® products.
- No effective consumption amount for humans can be derived from the animal model.
DON DONKEY’S®
DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk powder
100 % donkey milk · gently freeze-dried
Would you like to get to know donkey milk not only in scientific publications? Here you will find our DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk powder for consumption as a food.
- 100 % donkey milk
- Gently freeze-dried
- Available directly from DON DONKEY’S®
- Not a medicinal product and not a medical treatment
The study presented on this page was not carried out with DON DONKEY’S® products. The presentation of the research does not constitute a statement on the prevention, treatment or cure of any disease by this food.
Original publication
The study behind this page
Li et al.
Dezhou donkey (Equus asinus) milk: A potential treatment strategy for type 2 diabetes.
Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 246, 112221. Published online 2019.
DOI: 10.1016/j.jep.2019.112221 ↗
This page summarises the scientific results in plain language. The study was preclinical. A corresponding effect in humans was not examined in this study.