After reading Christina Adamss new book Camel Crazy: A Quest for Miracles in the Mysterious World of Camels(New World Library), I may have a new favorite animal (sorry, cats and hippos).
Most of us know camels as curiosities at zoos. As beasts of burden highly adapted to hot and dry climates, theyve served the trade routes that helped build civilizations, and may indeed flourish in our increasingly hot and dry world. We value their hide, meat, and especially their milk.
Camels are unusual, biologically speaking. And that may be why their milk can alleviate some aspects of autism.
Camel milk sounds weird to American ears, but camels are a domestic fact of life elsewhere. Although the US classifies them as exotic animals, they actually have early origins here; fossils have been found in Los Angeles. But the true reservoir of knowledge on camels is found in rural cultures and universities in the Middle East, Asia, and Africa, Christina told me.
Got Camel Milk?
In 2005, Christina met a camel at a childrens book fair in Orange County CA. Rather than hauling kids around, the animal was standing near a display of lotions and soaps made with camel milk. When the owner started to tell Christina how the milk is hypoallergenic and helps premature babies in the Middle East, she glanced over at 7-year-old Jonah. Hed already had four years of costly treatments for autism.
Might it help reboot my sons immune system and help his autism symptoms? she recalls thinking, aware of a link to immune dysfunction. Cow milk and cheese made him hand-flap and walk in circles, which he described as feeling like having dirt in my brain. Vegan substitutes like rice, nut, or soy increased his allergic response.
Camel Crazy details Christinas two-year journey to find the milk. Once she started giving it to Jonah, four ounces at a time, mixed in with food like cereal, his behavior changed quickly.
He became calm. Inquisitive. Caring. His language became more emotional and focused. He held his head straight instead of rolling it. Eating became neat, not a mess fest. He dressed himself and began making eye contact. He even got his shoes and backpack on and was calmer in the car going to school.
By the third dose, Jonah was sleeping through the night. He became more fluid, social, and attuned. Within days he could cross the street without me holding on to him. Within weeks his skin grew smoother. The milk also reversed his skin irritation, agitation, mental distraction, hyperactivity, and stomach pain, Christina recalled.
So she did research and spread the word, first in an article Got Camel Milk? that went viral, then in a peer-reviewed case report, Autism Spectrum Disorder Treated With Camel Milk, published in Global Advances in Health and Medicine. After describing Jonahs early difficulties, she wrote on October 10, 2007, two weeks before my sons tenth birthday, he drank his first half cup (4 oz) of thawed raw unheated camel milk. The case report documents Jonahs sustained symptom improvements associated with drinking half a cup a day from 2007 to 2013.
Christina then began traveling the world, giving presentations on camel milk and autism, and consulting with scientists and vets. Camel Crazy details her immersion into the world of camels and cameleers, from Tuareg, Amish and Somali people in America to herders in India, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. She serves on the editorial board of the new International Journal of Camel Science.
I was a beta reader for Camel Crazyand loved it. Being a nerd I searched for the science, and wasnt disappointed. The milk indeed has some startling differences from other milks, yet tastes, Christina says, like cows milk.
Camels drink a lot, pee a little, exhale minimal vapor, have insulating coats, and their red blood cells balloon and shrink as the water content in the bloodstream shifts. Natural selection has favored persistence of these traits that provide adaptation to heat, aridity, and exposure to intense ultraviolet radiation and choking dust. Body temperature ranges from 93.2-104F (3440C).
Being specifically a genetics nerd, I delved deeper into the DNA that encodes the unusual versions of proteins that might explain the magic of camel milk, as well as other details of the physiology. Much of the info below comes from the article Desert to Medicine: A Review of Camel Genomics and Therapeutic Products, from three researchers at United Arab Emirates University.
Fighting an Opioid Released from Casein Breakdown
The first technical paper Christina found was The etiology of autism and camel milk as therapy, from Ben Gurion University researchers Reuven Yagil and Yosef Shabo. Parent reports inspired their work.
They zeroed in on an opiate-like effect. Casein, the most abundant milk protein, breaks down into peptide pieces. And one of them, beta-casomorphin-7, is an opioid. It can slip through the leaky gut of a person with autism and enter the brain. Could an opiate bathing the brain affect social interactions and lack of interest in surroundings?
Other breakdown peptides of casein (-casein and no -lactoglobulin), which are more abundant in cows milk, may spike milk allergies.
Upping Anti-Oxidants
Camel milk delivers potent anti-oxidants that might temper autism symptoms, wrote King Saud University researchers Laila Al-Ayadhi and Nadra Elyass Elamin in a2013 report. People with autism are more sensitive to oxidative stress, which is damage from unstable forms of oxygen called oxygen free radicals.
The researchers measured levels of three anti-oxidants in the blood of 60 kids with autism: superoxide dismutase, myeloperoxidase, and an enzyme needed to make glutathione. Over a two-week period, 24 children drank raw camel milk, 25 drank boiled camel milk, and 11 drank cows milk. The trial was double-blinded and randomized, but it wasnt a crossover, in which each child would have had all three milk experiences. Nevertheless, raw camel milk was superior in anti-oxidant levels and a behavioral rating scale.
Special Tiny Antibodies
Camels share with only their camelid brethren (llamas, alpacas, vicunas, and guanacos) tiny antibodies in milk, called nanobodies. Most antibodies have one or more Y-shaped subunits; a nanobody is one arm of one Y, the variable region that distinguishes species. A student discoveredcamel nanobodies in a lab course at the University of Brussels in 1993, analyzing a dromedarys blood serum. Camels make large antibodies too.
Nanobodies can squeeze into places more bulbous antibodies cannot, vanquishing a wider swath of viruses and bacteria. They look strikingly like monoclonal antibodies, and so have become darlings of pharma, particularly in cancer drug discovery.
A camels streamlined nanobodies arose from a mutation that removed the hinges that connect the Y-shaped arms of more conventional antibodies. Sometimes a mutation is a good thing!
Further infection protection comes from the milk protein lactoferrin, which fights hepatitis C.
Tolerating High Blood Sugar
A camel-herding people in India, the Raika, drink camel milk and dont get diabetes. Thats because camels tolerate high blood glucose levels, and some of that ability seeps into their milk.
P. Agrawal, at the SP Medical College, Bikaner, India and colleagues have conducted clinical trialsthat show that camel milk decreases blood glucose and hemoglobin A1c (a three-month-measure of blood glucose), and, in people with type 1 diabetes, reduces the insulin requirement by up to 30 percent .
How can camels have high blood sugar yet low HbA1C? In most animals, the beta chains of hemoglobin bind glucose at several points, upping HbA1C. This doesnt happen in camels. If glucose binding to hemoglobin in us is like Velcro, then in camels, its like contact between a boot and slippery ice.
Conserving Water
Milk requires water, and camels are masters at conserving it. A self-contained cooling system, as Christina describes it, cycles body water from a camels nostrils to its mouth. The multi-layered eyelids and double row of eyelashes keep out blowing sand. Their unique oval blood cells compress as camels safely dehydrate, then swell up again as they refill with water, keeping their blood flowing in extreme conditions.
Camels dont dry out in the desert, as we would, thanks to variants of the genes that encode the cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes. They enable camels to resorb lots of water while tolerating high salt conditions, without their blood pressure spiking. Their kidneys are keenly attuned to taking back water.
Camel milk is also high in the calming neurotransmitter GABA, low in lactose, and has more vitamin C than cows milk.
Beyond Milk
The astonishing adaptations of the camel arent restricted to its milk. Here are a few more that have their roots in the animals genes.
Variations on the Camel Theme
About 94% of the worlds 35 million camels are the domesticated, one-humped dromedaries (Camelus dromedaries) of northern and eastern Africa, the Arabian Peninsula, and southwest Asia. A feral branch lives in Australia. Wild dromedaries are extinct and are in a separate genus, Camelops hesternus. They dwelled in western North America.
About 2 million two-humped domesticated Bactrian (Camelus bactrianus) camels live on the steppes of central Asia, and each weighs about 1,000 pounds. Fewer than 100 wild Bactrian camels remain; they split from a shared ancestor about 700,000 years ago. Today they live in Mongolia and in northwest Chinas Xinjiang Province, in an area that was a nuclear testing site for 45 years. In 2008 the wild Bactrians were designated a distinct species, Camelus ferus.
When bactrian and dromedary camels interbreed, most offspring have one hump, some with a dip in the middle.
Camel Genomics
Camel genomes are remarkably diverse with many mutations, perhaps because people havent controlled their breeding. Doing so is challenging.
The jelly-like consistency of camel semen complicates both freezing and using artificial insemination. Still, researchers from Oman and France recently published a report about possible genetic improvements: selecting for traits that ease of using milking machines, provide resistance to infections, improve racing ability, and enhance beauty. Camels are, after all, gorgeous creatures.
The first camel genome sequence, published in 2012, revealed 20,821 genes splayed out among 37 chromosome pairs. Some 2,730 genes have evolved faster in camels than in their cattle relatives, many involved in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism. Perhaps the unusual variants contribute to the camels ability to conserve water.
Researchers from Kuwait University report in PLOS Onethat they analyzed DNA from the blood, spit, and hair of nine camels, concluding that tail hair follicle DNA is the best tissue source to create a biobank.The International Camel Consortium for Genetic Improvement and Conservation promotes camel genetic conservation.
Bring on the Camel Fro-Yo!
The milk isnt cheap. Camel Milk Cooplists $36.99 for a weeks supply. And as Christinas book explains, theres little to no incentive to conduct a clinical trial or to attempt to replicate natures magical mix of milk ingredients. Camel Crazy includes a users guide and directory of global sources.
The milk is available in liquid, frozen, and powdered form. Camel-milk-containing products include skin cream, cheeses, ice cream pops, chocolate milk, and a delectable-looking sweet called barfi, which means snow in Persian (not vomit).
When will camel milk come to Starbucks?
Original post:
Camel Milk and Autism: Connecting the Genetic Dots | DNA Science Blog - PLoS Blogs
- Genetics - National Geographic Society - March 28th, 2025
- Genetics: Introduction, law of inheritance and Sex Determination - BYJU'S - March 28th, 2025
- Genetics, ecology and evolution of phage satellites - Nature.com - March 28th, 2025
- As a geneticist, I will not mourn 23andMe and its jumble of useless health information | Adam Rutherford - The Guardian - March 28th, 2025
- Rare loss-of-function variants in HECTD2 and AKAP11 confer risk of bipolar disorder - Nature.com - March 28th, 2025
- With 23andMe filing for bankruptcy, what happens to consumers genetic data? - The Conversation Indonesia - March 28th, 2025
- A genetic tree as a movie: Moving beyond the still portrait of ancestry - Phys.org - March 28th, 2025
- Genetic mutations linked to Marek's disease in chickens identified - Phys.org - March 28th, 2025
- 23andMe is looking to sell customers genetic data. Heres how to delete it - CNN - March 28th, 2025
- Horses Pulled Off a Genetic Trick Only Viruses Were Thought to Use - SciTechDaily - March 28th, 2025
- CONSUMER ALERT: Warning 23AndMe Customers That Their Private Genetic Data May Be at Risk - Office of the Attorney General for the District of Columbia - March 28th, 2025
- A new study reveals the genetic change that made horses so athletic - KUOW News and Information - March 28th, 2025
- "Mystery ancestors" gave humans 20% of our current DNA, but who were they? - Earth.com - March 28th, 2025
- Correcting the Mutation Behind a Genetic Eye Disease - The Scientist - March 28th, 2025
- Your DNA is safe here: The AncestryDNA Genetic Test Kit is only $39 now - New York Post - March 28th, 2025
- 23andMe Is Bankrupt. Heres What You Need to Know About Your Genetic Data. - The Wall Street Journal - March 28th, 2025
- Commentary: 23andMe files for bankruptcy, putting its hoard of personal health information at risk - Los Angeles Times - March 28th, 2025
- DNA Microscopy Creates 3D Maps of Life From the Inside Out - SciTechDaily - March 28th, 2025
- Eugenics Must Be Included in Genetics Curriculum: Prof - Mirage News - March 28th, 2025
- 11-minute video on human genetics can make people more accepting of others, reveals new study - Hindustan Times - February 24th, 2025
- Advancing Cancer Genetic Testing to Improve Prevention and Patient Treatment - The Scientist - February 24th, 2025
- Environmental factors, lifestyle choices have greater impact on health than genes, study finds - ABC News - February 24th, 2025
- Study finds lifestyle, environment have greater impact on lifespan than genetics - CBS Boston - February 24th, 2025
- Safeguard repressor locks hepatocyte identity and blocks liver cancer - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Mass spectrometry-based mapping of plasma protein QTLs in children and adolescents - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- The Avestagenome Project and TIGS Sign Strategic Alliance to Advance Research in Rare Genetic Disorders - The Tribune India - February 24th, 2025
- Researchers make breakthrough discovery after studying genetics of trees: 'There is a need for proactive conservation' - MSN - February 24th, 2025
- iPSCs and iPSC-derived cells as a model of human genetic and epigenetic variation - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Beyond genetics: The biggest factors that influence health and aging - Earth.com - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic diversity and dietary adaptations of the Central Plains Han Chinese population in East Asia - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- How a uniquely human genetic tweak changed the voices of mice - NPR - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic evidence identifies a causal relationship between EBV infection and multiple myeloma risk - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Genetic markers of early response to lurasidone in acute schizophrenia - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Bupa to offer first genetic test for disease prediction in UK - The Times - February 24th, 2025
- Advancing Therapeutic Knowledge of Genetic Influence in ALS: Matthew B. Harms, MD - Neurology Live - February 24th, 2025
- Association of dietary carbohydrate ratio, caloric restriction, and genetic factors with breast cancer risk in a cohort study - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Evaluation of polygenic scores for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy in the general population and across clinical settings - Nature.com - February 24th, 2025
- Familiar autism-linked genes emerge from first analysis of Latin American cohort - The Transmitter: Neuroscience News and Perspectives - February 24th, 2025
- Almost 90% of people would agree to genetic testing to tailor medication use, survey finds - Medical Xpress - February 24th, 2025
- Largest Genetic Study of Bipolar Disorder Identifies 298 Regions of the Genome That Increase Risk for the Condition - Mount Sinai - January 27th, 2025
- Study Sheds Light On The Origin Of Earth Lifes Genetic Code - Astrobiology News - January 27th, 2025
- Largest study on the genetics of bipolar disorder to date gives new insights into the underlying biology - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic Swiss Army Knife: New Tool For Gene Editing And Therapy - Forbes - January 27th, 2025
- Uhm Ji-won says the power of genetics is undeniable with Hyun Bin and Son Ye-jin's son - - January 27th, 2025
- Integrative proteogenomic analysis identifies COL6A3-derived endotrophin as a mediator of the effect of obesity on coronary artery disease -... - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic analysis reveals the genetic diversity and zoonotic potential of Streptococcus dysgalactiae isolates from sheep - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Eight psychiatric disorders share the same genetic causes, study says - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Exploring genetic associations and drug targets for mitochondrial proteins and schizophrenia risk - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Predictive Genetic Testing and Consumer Genomics Market - GlobeNewswire - January 27th, 2025
- Evolution without sex: How mites have survived for millions of years - EurekAlert - January 27th, 2025
- Our Understanding of Rules that Produce Lifes Genetic Code May Require a Revision - DISCOVER Magazine - January 27th, 2025
- Personalized therapy for rare genetic diseases: Patient-derived organoids offer new hope - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- The One Thing That's More Important for Longevity Than Your Genes - Parade Magazine - January 27th, 2025
- Complete recombination map of the human genome created - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Evidence of genetic determination of annual movement strategies in medium-sized raptors - Nature.com - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic study of Alaska red king crabs suggests species is more diverse and resilient to climate change - Global Seafood Alliance - January 27th, 2025
- Smartwatches reveal insights into psychiatric illnesses and genetic links - Medical Xpress - January 27th, 2025
- Unlocking the Blueprint of Human Life With a Revolutionary DNA Map - SciTechDaily - January 27th, 2025
- Largest Genetic Study of Bipolar Disorder Identifies Nearly 300 Risk-Associated Genome Regions - Inside Precision Medicine - January 27th, 2025
- Genetic Discrimination Is Coming for Us All - The Atlantic - November 16th, 2024
- Family connection: Genetics of suicide - WNEM - November 16th, 2024
- Study links heart shape to genetic risk of cardiovascular diseases - News-Medical.Net - November 16th, 2024
- Genetic architecture of cerebrospinal fluid and brain metabolite levels and the genetic colocalization of metabolites with human traits - Nature.com - November 16th, 2024
- Genetic connectivity of wolverines in western North America - Nature.com - November 16th, 2024
- Toward GDPR compliance with the Helmholtz Munich genotype imputation server - Nature.com - November 16th, 2024
- Leveraging genetic variations for more effective cancer therapies - News-Medical.Net - November 16th, 2024
- Bringing precision to the murky debate on fish oil - University of Arizona News - November 16th, 2024
- International experts gathered in Tashkent to tackle rare disease for Uzbekistan - EurekAlert - November 16th, 2024
- Mercys Story: Living life with 22q, a genetic condition - WECT - November 16th, 2024
- Cold case with ties to Houghton County solved through genetic genealogy after 65 years - WLUC - November 16th, 2024
- 23andMe customer? Here's what to know about the privacy of your genetic data. - CBS News - November 16th, 2024
- Single-cell RNA analysis finds possible genetic drivers of bone cancer - Illumina - November 16th, 2024
- Multi-trait association analysis reveals shared genetic loci between Alzheimers disease and cardiovascular traits - Nature.com - November 16th, 2024
- With 23andMe Struck by Layoffs, Can You Delete Genetic Data? Here's What We Know - CNET - November 16th, 2024
- Genetic testing firm 23andMe cuts 40% of its workforce amid financial struggles - The Guardian - November 16th, 2024
- Genetic study solves the mystery of 'selfish' B chromosomes in rye - Phys.org - November 16th, 2024
- Genetic changes linked to testicular cancer offer fresh insights into the disease - Medical Xpress - November 16th, 2024
- Eating less and genetics help you to live longer, but which factor carries the most weight? - Surinenglish.com - November 16th, 2024
- We must use genetic technologies now to avert the coming food crisis - New Scientist - November 16th, 2024
- NHS England to screen 100,000 babies for more than 200 genetic conditions - The Guardian - October 6th, 2024