The sale of breastmilk on the internet has been going on for quite some time now. In 2014, New York Magazine published a story that said there is a growing market for this, as breastmilk is sometimes used as a health supplement and fitness aid among bodybuilders and health nuts. Some also patronize the product to satisfy a fetish.
However, in a new study published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, experts from the Queen Mary University of London warned breastmilk buyers online that there's little evidence that driking this will help with erectile dysfunction or cancer, according to Fox News. Instead, there is an increasing danger with buying these from unregulated sites. Buyers may be putting themselves at great risk for contracting diseases like syphilis, hepatitis B and C and HIV. The experts warn the products online are most likely raw or haven't undergone proper pasteurization.
The experts also point out that breastmilk contains less protein than regular cow's milk. "Potential buyers should be made aware that no scientific study evidences that direct adult consumption of human milk for medicinal properties offers anything more than a placebo effect," said Sarah Steele, one of the specialists in the study, as reported by Brainerd Dispatch.
Moms in need of cash are the sources of these breastmilk, who sell these online for a quick buck. The products can go from $1 to $5 an ounce, depending on the quality. Some sites even sell the milk for a premium price, according to NBC News, or say that the sellers do undergo a thorough health check. These, however, may just be purely advertising.
"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," Steele further said. "Sexual and other activities in the postpartum period may expose the woman expressing to viruses (like HIV and Syphilis) that they may unwittingly pass on to consumers of the milk."
The study echoes the call by a health investigator at a Cincinnati hospital back in April. Sarah Keim, from the Center for Bio Behavioral Health at Nationwide Children's Hospital, conducted a study on online breastmilk and found that many of these were watered down with other substances, like soy, according to Live Science. Keim's warning raised a concern for mothers who do not have the ability to produce breastmilk and shop for these online. But her findings may also be applicable to adult breastmilk drinkers, based on the latest reports.
