Whilst some people might think fiber-filled kale is not to their taste, or find slimy chia seeds turn their stomach, the latest “super-food” trend trumps the rest. The burgeoning fad, started in the US and expanded into Europe, has turned heads – to say the least. Human breast milk has become the hottest super-food craze to hit the world, and a surprisingly sizeable portion of the community has welcomed it with open arms and are not ashamed to admit it.
Only The Breastis a US-based site, dubbed by some the “Craigslist of breast milk”, where women can advertise their breast milk for human consumption.
Originally created to help mothers who are unable to breastfeed find real breast milk for their babies, the site took a strange turn when the most popular customers ended up being bodybuilders, who claim breast milk is the best supplement for building muscle.
The bodybuilders are joined by the other large portion of the breast milk community, men who prefer milk ‘the natural way’ (sometimes referred to as ‘from the tap’), that is, from the breast (dozens of ads are posted online daily by men seeking ‘wet-nurses’ or ‘Adult Nursing Relationships’).
One ad The Weekly found on the Only The Breast.
Whilst it is unsettling, the bodybuilding community isn’t wrong on their claim. Breast milk contains metabolic fuels, fatty acids, amino acids and minerals, which all helpful in building and strengthening muscle.
Some people undergoing chemotherapy are also turning to breast milk to ‘ease the effect’ of the treatment, but it is unclear how it does so. There are even some studies (whose legitimacy is unconfirmed) who suggest breast milk could be beneficial to all types of diseases and conditions, including arthritis, cancer, diabetes and acne.
Despite these claims, which some might say are legitimate, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) has advised against the consumption of human breast milk, commenting that it would be “very difficult for a food business to demonstrate the safety of such a product”. They’re not wrong –Only The Breastdoes not require mothers to undergo any sort of medical check to ensure their milk is not contaminated or carrying sexually transmitted diseases.
But, however sketchy the business might be, UK and US mothers aren’t shying away from selling breast milk. Selling mothers can reportedly make up to $20,000 a year from sales by selling the milk by the ounce and up to $50,000 if they allow buyer to drink ‘from the tap’.
Baby Gaga ice cream made from donated and screened human breast milk.
Baby Gaga ice cream – which was churned with donated and screened human breast milk – was popular at an ice creamery in England’s Covent Garden before being yanked by health authorities in 2011.
The question remains; is the rising popularity of this strange drink merely a result of the general public moving away from animal milks to plant-based milks such as almond and soy, or is there scientific evidence to support the consumption?
Unnamed consumers claim that the drinking of breast milk helps boosts energy levels, strengthens the immune system and acts as a vitamin supplement. “You feed this stuff to babies,” said one avid drinker, “it can’t be toxic”.
However, Dietician Elisa Zied comments, “I find the idea of adults using human breast milk for health benefits unsubstantiated by science”.
So, for those willing to go ‘all the way’ for health, this trend might be the one for you. For the rest of us, we’ll stick to our kale smoothies.
