Some older people were at risk of malnutrition, and a dietary analysis showed an improvement in nutrition from drinking deer milk, she said.

Muscle mass was tested by passing an electric current through the body and analysing the speed of the current, Von Hurst said.

Although none of the women gained weight they all gained muscle mass after drinking deer milk, without additional exercise, she said.

“As we age, we lose muscle mass much more easily than we gain it, and we do need more proteins,” Von Hurst said.

This was also true for older men, but was a concern specifically for older women, she said.

The chemical markers that showed how bone broke down or was built up were also analysed and showed a protective effect on bones, Von Hurst said.

“A lot of women approaching menopause aren’t getting the calcium that they need. Maintaining bone density is difficult,” Von Hurst said.

Deer milk was higher in calcium than cow’s milk, she said.

The study also looked at grip strength, which improved without exercises, she said.

This could be attributed to growing muscle mass and added nutrition, Von Hurst said.

Pāmu Farms exports deer milk nutrition products to several markets across Asia-Pacific.

Deer milk business lead Hamish Glendinning said Southland deer farmers Pete and Sharon McIntyre partnered with Pāmu and milked 150 to 200 red deer hinds, with a Pāmu farm in the Central Plateau milking another 150 hinds.

There was one other deer milk farm in New Zealand besides Pāmu.

The trial was done as collaboration between Pāmu and Massey University, and with support from the High-Value Nutrition Ko Nga Kai Whai Painga National Science Challenge.

The trial recruited 120 women over the age of 65.

Glendinning said deer milk would be part of a growing aged nutrition space.