A team of researchers wanted to see if breast milk purchased from online source is 100% breast milk. According to their study, more than 10% of the analyzed samples contained a large amount of added cow milk.
Many parents want to feed their infants with breast milk so they usually go online and purchase it. However, not all the online vendors are selling what they claim to.
Dr. Sarah Keim, the author of the new study, explained that people usually buy breast milk from online websites after they see and add describing the type and quantity of milk or the health condition of the seller.
But while some parents believe they are feeding their newborn infants quality, nutritious breast milk, they are actually received human milk mixed with cow milk.
According to the experts, human breast milk provides many health benefits to infants. The American Academy of Pediatrics says that breastfeeding can protect against many diseases and health conditions, including diarrhea, childhood obesity and diabetes.
However, due to various reasons, not every mother can breastfeed.
According to a survey conducted in 2012 and published in the journal Pediatrics, two thirds of mother that are nursing newborns cannot breastfeed their babies for as long as it’s needed.
The researchers involved in the news study explain that some women are not able to produce enough milk for their baby. So these mothers turn to online source that promise to provide 100% natural, healthy human breast milk.
Dr Keim and her colleagues conducted the new study, which was published in the journal Pediatrics, by purchasing 102 samples of human breast milk from sellers on the internet.
The scientists analyzed the samples using DNA testing to see whether the milk was 100% human or if cow’s milk had been added to it.
The researchers found that all the samples contained human DNA. However, 11 samples also contained cow DNA.
Of these samples,10 contained a high concentration of bovine DNA, which means that the online seller has not added “accidentally” cow milk to breast milk.
Adding cow milk to human breast milk can be dangerous for newborn infants. There are many babies who are allergic to bovine milk and by drinking it they could have serious allergic reactions.
Dr Keim explained that those who purchase human breast milk over the internet cannot be 100% sure of they’re getting.
Those who sell online breast milk are tempted to add cow milk or milk formula in order to sell more.
Image Source: sciencenews
