A craze for purchasing human breast milk has been sweeping the Internet, but researchers are warning it could be dangerous.
Human breast milk has been said by some to be a "clean" food that could have benefits for fitness enthusiasts, and even help treat erectile dysfunction and cancer, Queen Mary University of London reported. Despite these rumors, experts believe there is no clinical benefit to drinking human breast milk, and doing so could come with significant risks.
"Nutritionally there is less protein in breast milk than other milks like cow's milk. Potential buyers should be made aware that there is no scientific evidence that adult consumption of human milk for medicinal properties offers anything more than a placebo effect. Moreover, human breast milk is potentially very hazardous if used to replace a healthy balanced diet," said lead researcher, Dr. Sarah Steele from Queen Mary University of London.
If women fail to sanitize properly when expressing the milk, or do not sterilize the equipment of storage containers used, the milk can become a carrier of bacterial food-borne illnesses seen in other raw milk products. The lack of pasteurization and regulated testing elevates this risk. Human breast milk could also potentially transmit diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and syphilis.
"While many online mums claim they have been tested for viruses during pregnancy, many do not [realize] that serological screening needs to be undertaken regularly," Dr. Steele said. "Sexual and other activities in the postpartum period may expose the woman expressing to viruses that they may unwittingly pass on to consumers of the milk."
The study's authors are urging health professionals and regulators to issue public guidance in order to deter people from purchasing and consuming human breast milk.
The findings were published in a recent edition of the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine.
