Research on donkey milk · Study 84

Selenium-enriched donkey milk with a high-fat diet: what was measured in the rat model

A team from Wuxi fed rats a high-fat diet for eight weeks and gave some of the animals donkey milk or selenium-enriched donkey milk in addition. Blood and liver values, gut bacteria and metabolites in the faeces were measured.

Important: An animal experiment with a disease model (high-fat diet in rats) – no statement about any effect in humans and no recommendation. What was examined was mainly a selenium-enriched donkey milk. Three authors work for the supplier of the milk.

Study typeAnimal experiment with disease model, supplemented by cell and bacterial culture

Animals40 male Sprague-Dawley rats, 5 groups of 8

Duration8 weeks, administration by gavage

OriginJiangnan University Wuxi & a Chinese donkey-hide products company, China · 2026

Experimental setup

Five groups, two types of feed

ControlNormal feed (10 % of energy from fat) + saline solution

HFDHigh-fat feed (45 % of energy from fat) + saline solution

DMHigh-fat feed + 2.6 ml/kg donkey milk daily

Se-LHigh-fat feed + 2.6 ml/kg selenium donkey milk daily

Se-HHigh-fat feed + 10.4 ml/kg selenium donkey milk daily

Normal donkey milk (DM) was given only in the low amount. The clearest findings concern Se-H – with four times the amount and selenium at the same time. The paper does not describe how the milk was enriched with selenium.

The authors’ explanation · assembles itself

Six puzzle pieces – and a gap

Piece 1Selenium donkey milk is givenexperimental condition

Piece 2More Akkermansia bacteria in the faecesrat · graph only

Piece 3More short-chain fatty acids in the faecesrat · graph only

Piece 4Acetate activates the energy sensor AMPKliver cell line

Piece 5Fewer markers of ferroptosis and fat synthesisrat · gene and protein amounts

Piece 6Less fat in the liverrat · staining & graph

The gap: Whether the chain actually works like this was not tested directly – for example with an experiment in which only the bacteria or only acetate are given. Piece 4 comes from experiments on a human liver cancer cell line (HepG2), not from the rats.

Schematic representation of the authors’ hypothesis. The labels show where each piece of evidence comes from.

Figures from Table 1 · tap a row

What the selenium milk contained differently

Component

Donkey milk
Selenium donkey milk

Dot = percentage difference according to Table 1 (mean, n = 3). Filled = statistically different according to the paper; open = no significant difference. At +241.67 %, selenium lies outside the axis. Measured on defatted, freeze-dried samples. The table’s units are partly not plausible (e.g. milk sugar in “mg/kg”).

Metabolites in the faeces

How many substances differed

HFD vs. control2,241

DM vs. HFD460

Se-L vs. HFD389

Se-H vs. HFD528

Number of faecal metabolites that differed statistically between two groups. The high-fat feed itself changed the profile the most. The figures say nothing about whether a difference is favourable or unfavourable.

Critical assessment · tap a row

The traffic-light matrix: how well is what supported?

FiguresDM comparisonConsistent

Figures = measured values are in the text or tables · DM comparison = the result of the group with normal donkey milk is reported · Consistent = no contradictions in the paper. Green = yes, yellow = partly, red = no.

Conflict of interest

Three authors (Jie Cheng, Guangyuan Liu, Zhuoru Ren) were employed by a Chinese manufacturer of donkey-hide products; the same company supplied the donkey milk and the selenium donkey milk.

Funding

Programme of Shandong Province (Taishan Industrial Leading Talent) and the National Natural Science Foundation of China.

Level of evidence

Preclinical: disease model in rats plus cell and bacterial culture. No statement about humans, no recommendation.

Research question for DON DONKEY’S®

How much selenium does donkey milk naturally contain?

For normal donkey milk, the study gives 0.024 mg selenium per kg (defatted dry sample). How much the selenium content varies between farms and feeding is a question of composition that we continue to watch – without deriving any effects from it.

Compare with Study 49Document mineralsLook for independent replication

Original publication

Effect of Selenium-Enriched Donkey Milk on Lipid Metabolism Disorders Induced by a High-Fat Diet

Original title; the word “effect” comes from the original title and describes the rat model.

Zhong Q., Cheng J., Huang G., Zhan J., Chen X., Liu M., Liu G., Ren Z., Chen X., Tang X., Wang Z.
Foods · 2026 · volume 15, issue 10, article 1640 · open access
Jiangnan University Wuxi; Dong’e Ejiao Co., Ltd., Liaocheng (China)

DOI: 10.3390/foods15101640

Transparency: three authors employed by a Chinese manufacturer of donkey-hide products, milk from the same company. Animal experiment approved by the ethics committee of Jiangnan University. No product-related statement for DON DONKEY’S®.

Summarised and reviewed by the DON DONKEY’S editorial team on the basis of the original publication · as of October 2026

End of the study summary

Note on our products

The study summarised above was carried out independently of DON DONKEY’S® and does not relate to our products. It serves solely to inform about the state of research.

DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk and donkey milk powder are foods. They are not intended to prevent, treat or cure any disease and do not replace medical advice.

From our shop

DON DONKEY’S® donkey milk

100 % donkey milk · raw milk, frozen

On this page we report the findings of a published study. Independently of that, you will find our donkey milk here: 100 % donkey milk, frozen as raw milk.

Transparency: The study examined selenium-enriched donkey milk from a Chinese manufacturer – not the milk of our partner farms.

€24,90

100 ml bottle / 100ml · Unit price: €249,00 / 1 l · incl. VAT, plus shipping

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Also in our shop

Donkey Milk Powder

Donkey milk in powder form

For anyone who prefers a longer shelf life: our donkey milk in powder form – easy to store and portion.

Transparency: The study administered liquid donkey milk, not our donkey milk powder.