Milk does the body good... Really?

     Good afternoon, Family...  I was surfing the web recently and came across an article that was about body builders drinking milk.  Not whole milk, not skim milk, not 1% or 2% milk, not buttermilk, but BREAST milk.  Yes.  Okay..........  I'm going to give you a minute to think on that one...............
I know this is Breast Cancer awareness month and someone will think I should be writing about that, but this topic I just couldn't pass up.

     Apparently there are some men out there that think breast milk is not just good for babies.  Yes, men appear to be the users of this new trend.  According to the Washington Post, there are men out there that say the breast milk eased their nausea after chemotherapy and some use it as a daily immune booster.  Yes, there are some fitness fools out there that are going online to purchase breast milk to help with their musle building regimens.  

     So, why breast milk???  Well, it has the perfect combination of fats, proteins, and carbohydrates.  It contains 100% of the recommended daily allowance of everything a baby needs to grow including antibodies that help form a baby's immunity to various illnesses.  Now, although that may be true for the babies, there is no scientific proof that it has any benefits for adults, but some swear that it gives them more energy.

     There are people out there spending up to $20 an ounce (sounds like a drug deal gone wrong to me). There are websites that women can use to advertise the sale of their breast milk (makes me think of Craig's list).  Fortunately, Craigs list does not permit the sale of bodily fluids on their websites.  In any case, Buyer BEWARE!!! I just want to know if these people buying have thought about the possibility of contamination.  Breast milk is not manufactured.  It comes from women (thought I would say that in case you didn't know).    Milk banks--places where you can donate and obtain breast milk--have strict criteria that they adhere to for women donating their breast milk.  Take a look at some of the criteria that the Helping Hand and other agencies use:

• A medical and social screening of the donor
• Written permission from the woman's physician and the baby's pediatrician
• The milk is tested for HIV, HTLV, HBV, HCV, and syphilis
• A DNA sample is obtained once the woman is accepted
• Every milk donation is matched via the DNA sample to insure that is is coming from that donor
• The milk is also tested for microbes
• The donor has to have had no history of hepatitis after age 11 and no history of tuberculosis
• Donor must be a non-smoker
• Donor must have had no history of intimate contact with anyone at risk for HIV/AIDS
• Donor must consume less that 24 ounces of caffeinated beverages a day and must waot 12 hours after drinking any alcoholic beverage before collecting milk for donation
• Donor must be in excellent health without any chronic illnesses or history of major medical issue

     I doubt seriously if the donors that advertise on random sites is doing ANY of those things.   A study done in 2013 by Keim and associates found 74% of the breast milk they purchased online contained staph, strep, or other bacteral species.  Just nasty.  It is interesting though that with all the involvement the government has with food and food products, breast milk is not regulated by the FDA. 

     Go get your milk from the store and leave the breast milk for the babies.

SMOOCHES