PPeople have long used breast milk for reasons other than feeding babies. In the first century Pliny the Elder recommended it against fever, gout and healing of poisonous beetles. In 17th and 18th century England and America, breast milk was prescribed for conditions ranging from consumption to blindness.
Today, it’s still more than just infant food – although some uses of it are more evidence-based than others.
Historically, the mammary gland has been “very understudied and underappreciated,” says Lars Bode, professor and founder of the Human Milk Institute at the University of California San Diego.
There is a stigma surrounding breast milk. The American Academy of Pediatrics observed that mothers in the United States who breastfeed for more than a year often report feeling ridiculed or alienated by this.
There’s still a lot we don’t know about breast milk. Now researchers are trying to close the knowledge gap.
“Human milk is not made for adults,” says Bode. “But that doesn’t mean there can’t be potential benefits from some of its components.”
Why adults drink breast milk
Has breast milk three different stages – colostrum, transitional milk and mature milk – and contains fats, proteins, vitamins and minerals. It also has complex sugars mentioned oligosaccharides from breast milkthat are essential for health and development. (More on that later.) This milk supplies the hormones, stem cells and immune factors, such as antibodies and antioxidants, that protect a child against disease.
But experts doubt whether a healthy adult would benefit much from breast milk. Any effects will likely be quite small, explains Katie Hindean associate professor at Arizona State University who studies breastfeeding, in part because of the physiological differences between adults and babies. For example, adults have higher stomach acidity, which “is going to break down more of the protective factors in milk,” she says. For most, the ability to digest milk effectively deteriorates as we age, meaning adults may not be able to absorb beneficial nutrients the way children can.
“For a typical healthy adult, I think the effects would probably be very small,” Hinde says. “But it is possible that vulnerable people could potentially benefit from it.”
Additionally, not all milk is the same, making it difficult to predict the benefits for adults. The composition of milk varies depending on the environment, the needs of mother and child and the complex dynamics between them. It also changes during feeding. This applies to all mammal species, says Hinde.
“In that sense, milk is more unique than a fingerprint,” Hinde adds.
Some immunocompromised adults, such as cancer patients, do reported feel relief after consuming breast milk, but more studies are needed to validate this. Early research also suggests that specific sugar compounds in breast milk may provide relief side effects of chemotherapy.
A mature market for breast milk
Breast milk may be complex and under-researched, but experts agree on one thing: it’s not safe to drink breast milk purchased online from strangers.
“Human milk can be a pathogen, and if you buy it on unregulated platforms you run the risk of getting sick,” says Bode.
And yet there is demand. Some people have bought breast milk hoping it would help athletic gains and erectile dysfunctionalthough research indicates that these outcomes are unlikely. The cost of breast milk online can vary, according to some reports $1.50 per ounce and others $10 per ounce.
Diane Spatz, nurse scientist at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia and professor at the University of Pennsylvania, says adults’ interest in consuming breast milk may reflect the growing understanding and message about how breast milk affects infant health, such as protecting breast milk. against diseases. That said, there are no research-proven health benefits for adults.
Breast milk as a home remedy
It’s not uncommon to find discussions online about alternative uses for breast milk, including in soothing soaps, hair masks or even hangover remedies (the last one has been debunked). But while people have used breast milk as a home remedy a long timeits usefulness for various conditions is not fully validated by science.
Studies suggest that breast milk could work as an ointment for breast cancer, for example burns, sore nipples And rash – but the results are inconsistent.
Breast milk contains macrophages, a type of white blood cell that kills microorganisms and initiates immune responses. This may be why parents have seen success treating their child’s minor ear or eye infections with a little milk. When the milk is fresh, macrophages can “go around and eat any bacteria that might be in the area,” Spatz says.
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But the idea that all the benefits of breast milk will translate beyond feeding a baby is a misconception, Spatz explains. For example, lactoferrin, a protein in breast milk, also helps kill bacteria. But freezing or heating breast milk reduces the potency of lactoferrin—and milk often undergoes one of those processes when it’s used for something else later.
If a parent finds themselves with extra milk, Spatz says it’s more than okay to use it in a way that works for your family, such as adding it to your baby’s bath to soothe the skin. She also says that despite what online videos suggest, it’s rare for mothers to have excess milk.
But if there is really more than enough, there is another option: donate to a milk bankwhere it will be screened, pasteurized and tested.
Breast milk as medical treatment
Human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs) are an important part of breast milk and have anti-inflammatory effects. These complex sugars help babies develop healthy intestines. Now scientists are interested in creating synthetic versions.
“It’s about understanding why breast milk can be potentially beneficial and then using that knowledge to develop new therapeutic or preventative agents,” Bode explains.
In a recent one study In mice, Bode and his colleagues found that one type of HMO helped reduce inflammation and the development of atherosclerosis, a chronic inflammatory disease that can cause a heart attack or stroke. Early research also suggests that these molecules may help with other conditions, including arthritis, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer’s disease, Bode says. Other researchers are too study how healthcare organizations can improve the intestinal health of adults. The next phase is the transition to human clinical trials.
Breast milk as a ‘liquid biopsy’ for breast cancer risk
Kathleen Arcarowho directs the breast milk research laboratory at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, is interested in how breast milk can benefit mothers.
Studying breast milk, she says, “helps us understand an individual’s risk of breast cancer and, most importantly, it could give women the opportunity to do something to potentially change that risk.”
Arcaro says breast milk can act as a “liquid biopsy.” It is a non-invasive method of obtaining breast tissue: just one ounce of milk contains millions of cells, including cells that show changes linked to breast cancer risk. Breast milk can also contain signs of inflammation, such as cytokines and high sodium. Arcaro and her colleagues are investigating whether this inflammation promotes cancer and what interventions can help.
Her team too collects breast milk of mothers who tested positive for the BRCA mutation, which can be a sign of a higher risk of breast or ovarian cancer, and assesses their milk for these related changes.
The hope is that one day, when new mothers come to the hospital for a checkup on their babies, doctors will also be able to take and assess a sample of their milk. This would be easy enough to do, Arcaro says.
She says mothers who donate their milk to Arcaro’s research are not surprised that this science is possible. Instead, their typical response is: Why aren’t we doing this already?