Camelʹs milk and gastric emptying

Background & aim Gastric emptying is determined by food consistency, pH, osmolality, lipid and calorie content as well as the presence of different nutrients in the duodenal lumen. Control of gastric emptying is essential for ensuring optimal digestion. The present study tested the hypothesis that due to its different precipitation properties, gastric emptying of camelʹs milk may be quicker than that of bovineʹs milk with the same caloric and fat content. Methods Gastric emptying was studied by a scintigraphic technique in a randomized, double blind fashion in 8 volunteers after drinking 450 mL of either cowʹs milk or camelʹs milk. Results No differences in gastric emptying rates were found between the two types of milk. The percentage of retention of the meal after 60 min was 74.6±13.2% for cowʹs milk and 79.8±10.8% for camelʹs milk. The 50% emptying time (T1/2) was 131.8±37.4 min for cowʹs milk and 136.8±55.8 min for camelʹs milk. Conclusions Camelʹs milk is most probably not a useful substitute for other types of milk to shorten gastric emptying.