A Secret to Longevity?

Is Donkey Milka Secret to Longevity?

You may have heard that the world’s oldest woman passed away recently. Maria Esther de Capovilla lived in Ecuador. She was born in 1889. Relatives told the press that the secret to her longevity was the regular consumption of donkey milk.

I didn’t see that one coming!

A NutraIngredients article about Ms. de Capovilla contains several interesting revelations about donkey milk, which I think we can safely file under “Who Knew!?”

• “Donkey milk is the closest milk to human milk,” according to Oliver Denys who operates Europe’s most productive donkey dairy, which consists of about 85 donkeys
• Donkey milk contains 60 times more vitamin C than cow’s milk
• Unlike cow’s milk, donkey milk contains no bacteria

With the death of Ms. de Capovilla, USA Today reports that the current oldest known living person is Elizabeth Bolden, who lives in Memphis, Tennessee. She’s only 11 months younger than de Capovilla. No word on how much donkey milk she’s drinking every day.

Sources:
“Does Donkey Dairy Contain the Key to Longevity?” Stephen Daniells, NutraIngredients, 9/1/06, nutraingredients.com