This Unusual Type Of Milk Could Help Heal Your Gut & Make Your Skin Glow

Many of my patients find cow's milk hard to digest due to lactose intolerance, which can lead to food sensitivities and general gut unhappiness. This is because they lack sufficient amounts of the enzyme lactase to break down the predominant sugar in cow's milk—lactose. This milk intolerance leads to gas, bloating, and diarrhea as the bacteria in the human gut ferment the lactose sugar instead. While actual numbers can vary, the World Allergy Organization estimates almost 5 percent of people may suffer from cow's milk allergy, with children more likely to react than adults.

At the same time, many patients enjoy drinking milk, whether in smoothies, mixed in foods, or as a beverage. In the past, I've had trouble finding the perfect alternative for cow's milk. Unfortunately, people reactive to cow's milk could also have reactions to goat and sheep milks1.

Even nut milk doesn't get a free pass. One recent study looked at how 500 people reacted to different types of milk, from mammalian to nondairy milk. Interestingly, some people even reacted to traditionally nonreactive milks1 including almond, soy, and coconut milk!

So, what is left, you ask? The answer may surprise you as much as it did me!

In the same study, researchers provided a perfect alternative: camel milk, which was the second least reactive1 milk in this study (right after human milk). What?!?  

While it might sound like the next new trendy health beverage, camel milk is hardly new. For centuries, camel milk2 (and urine, but that's for another discussion) has been used in the Middle East, parts of Africa and Asia, and the former Soviet Union. Even though throughout history it lacked scientific validity, many swore by camel milk's therapeutic benefits.

Today, we have that scientific validation2. An impressive number of studies substantiate what people intuitively knew centuries ago: Camel's milk provides an array of health benefits, including being a rich source of nutrients and antioxidants3.

Camel milk is more nutritious than milk4 from cows, sheep, and other animals because it contains low amounts of the milk sugar lactose along with a superior fat content. It is also easier to digest because, unlike most conventional dairy, which contains the difficult-to-digest A1 casein protein, camel milk is composed of A2 casein, which your body can break down more easily. 

Nutrient-wise, camel milk contains high concentrations of potassium, magnesium, copper, sodium, zinc, iron, B vitamins, and vitamin C. Altogether, the total protein content of camel milk is also superior4 to other sources.

Those nutrients help fight chronic inflammation5 and free-radical-induced oxidative stress. As you know by reading my other blogs on inflammation, both of these conditions play key roles in the majority of diseases, including digestive disorders.

Many of the benefits in camel milk come from protein components called immunoglobulins that (as their name implies) play a key role in immune health.

Because of their unique structure, most of the immunoglobulins from the lactating camel can pass within and remain available in camel milk4. Researchers find these immunoglobulins are therapeutic for a number of illnesses4 including cancer, multiple sclerosis, and Alzheimer's disease.

So here's the kicker—you're thinking it's great camel milk offers all these benefits, but does it taste good? Besides being healthy, camel milk tastes delicious. At the same time, I'm careful about positioning one food or beverage as a "wonder food" to solve numerous conditions. Used as part of a healthy diet and lifestyle, however, camel milk can provide therapeutic benefits for these and other conditions.

Camel milk is not cheap (a six-pack of 16-ounce bottles currently sells for $120 on Amazon), and quality does matter to get the most nutrient-rich milk from ethically raised camels.

What’s my favorite? I like Desert Farms camel milk, which is very gently pasteurized and nonhomogenized to destroy pathogens while keeping Immunoglobulins, lactoferrin, and other nutrients intact. The company's ethics are impeccable: The baby does not get separated from the mother during the milking process, and the camels are fed an optimal diet.

Their camel milk is a source of A2 casein milk protein, a special type of easier-to-digest casein protein I've written about before. Camel milk does not contain lactoglobulin, the major allergen in milk proteins.