Celebrity-endorsed fitness fads come and go like the weather
One of the latest to hit the front pages is that of Kim Kardashian and her endorsement of camel milk. Should you be slurping on this stuff, or sticking to the standard kind?
We asked nutritionist Lily Soutter to explain.
How long have humans been drinking camel milk?
“While it’s new to us in the Western world, it has been consumed for thousands of years in other parts of the world and is popular in North Africa and the Middle East. It’s a major source of nutrition where water is scarce and this sturdy animal can survive for a month without water, yet still produce milk.”
Is it more nutritious than cow’s milk?
“Both cow and camel milk are highly nutritious, but differ slightly in their nutrient offering. Camel’s milk comes with a higher quantity of minerals such as zinc, and around five to 10 times the amount of iron.
“What’s more, it contains three to five times the amount vitamin C, which is handy when in desert conditions where fresh fruit and veg may be sparse.”
What about fat and sugar content?
“It has been reported that camel milk contains lower amounts of fat, protein and carbohydrates in comparison to cow’s milk. It also comes with lower levels of vitamin A, E and certain B vitamins such as thiamine and riboflavin.
“However, it’s important to note that the nutrient composition of camel milk has been found to differ from country to country and is linked to the environmental and farming conditions. This means it is currently hard to provide accurate measures of the nutrient content as this can vary from batch to batch.”
Are there any additional health benefits that come with camel’s milk?
“There is some preliminary research to suggest camel milk may be better tolerated by those with lactose intolerance, in comparison with cow’s milk, however larger trials need to be conducted before these properties can be confirmed.
“In relation to other health claims made around camel’s milk such as ‘preventing diabetes’ and ‘treating autism’, most of the research has been conducted on rats and so more studies need to be conducted on humans.”
How has camel milk been received by the authorities?
“It’s important to be mindful of sweeping health claims around camel milk as there are currently no conclusive studies to support these claims.
“In fact, the Food and Drug Administration instructed one company to take down health claims from their website so as to not mislead the general public.”
