Rich in protein, vitamins and minerals, breast milk is designed to nourish your baby while boosting your immune system.
But would that be enough to convince you to try something yourself?
Somewhat strangely, celebrities are trying to get the same immune-boosting health benefits from drinking their own breast milk.
Kourtney Kardashian, who is no stranger to an unusual health trend, admitted this week to having a glass because she felt “sick.”
Kim’s older sister, 44, caused confusion among her millions of fans with her publication, accompanied by a selfie of her lying in bed. Kourtney had been breastfeeding her five-month-old son Rocky Thirteen.
Kourtney Kardashian has caused confusion among her fans by admitting that she drank an entire glass of her own breast milk.
The star previously shared a photo of herself pumping breast milk in a low-cut black dress, after welcoming her son Rocky with husband Travis Barker last year.
She wrote on Instagram: “This filter is crazy and I just had a glass of breast milk because I feel sick.” Good night.’
Kourtney, married to Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker, promotes supplements to boost healthy breast milk production. On top of that, she previously shared a photo of herself pumping breast milk in sexy black lingerie after welcoming her child last year.
But she is not the first great figure to try drinking breast milk. Brody Jenner admitted to using his fiancee Tia Blanco’s supply in his morning coffee.
The Hills alum said the unconventional creamer was “delicious” in a YouTube video, and revealed he had run out of almond milk.
Meanwhile, in 2014, Jennifer Aniston admitted on Jimmy Kimmel Live that she had tried breast milk.
In October, British reality star Ferne McCann also surprised Steph’s Packed Lunch viewers when she appeared on the show to talk about her six-month-old daughter, Finty, and revealed that she had also tried her own breast milk.
Ferne, who is also a doting mum to her six-year-old daughter Sunday, who she shares with ex Arthur Collins, said her breast milk was like “liquid gold”.
The 44-year-old and her husband Travis Barker announced in early November that she had given birth to their son Rocky Thirteen.
Kourtney Kardashian isn’t the only celebrity trying to get immune-boosting health benefits from breast milk.
He also revealed that the nurses told him to use it as a first aid remedy. “Finty, when she was born, had a little bit of tears in her eyes, and the community midwives were like, ‘Give her some breast milk,'” the model explained.
“If Lorri had a blister, I would suggest squeezing a little on the blister, it would heal in a few moments.”
Breast milk is 88 percent water, but the remaining 12 percent provides everything a baby needs to grow, such as carbohydrates, fats, proteins and minerals.
The NHS says on its advice page that “any amount is beneficial” as it reduces the risk of babies catching some infections.
Additionally, it claims that the custom-made liquid can dramatically reduce sudden infant death syndrome, childhood diabetes and leukemia.
Although it is not designed for adults to drink, there is some scientific research into its possible benefits.
Similar to how it works in babies, a team of Irish researchers He said it was worth exploring whether drinking breast milk could help combat minor infections and illnesses.
one 2019 review, published in the journal Nutrients, suggested that breast milk could be used to help reduce skin conditions such as eczema and dermatitis.
Although many consider it strange, experts say that “there is no risk” if an adult consumes their own breast milk. The same logic applies to milk from someone they trust.
She is one of many stars who have followed this strange health trend, and Ferne McCann also admits she has tried her own breast milk.
Ferne McCann revealed that nurses told her to use breast milk as a first aid remedy.
“When Kourtney Kardashian drank her own milk to relieve her nausea, she certainly wasn’t going to do herself any harm, and it probably did her some good,” says Sarah Oakley, an independent breastfeeding nurse and health visitor.
Oakley, who lives in Cambridgeshire, believes that if human milk is nutritious enough to support a baby’s growth, it is also nutritious enough for children and adults.
She said: “No one questions the nutritional value of cow’s or goat’s milk or even plant milks, so I can’t understand why we constantly question the value of human milk, which has evolved over millions of years to provide the best and most complete nutrition. for babies.’
She even says it’s “completely biologically normal” to breastfeed until age 7, which she admits is often considered “weird.”
However, the NHS says any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial, but “exclusively” feeding your baby breast milk for their first six months of life offers “much more protection.”
The WHO also supports continuing breastfeeding for one to two years.
“Human milk contains antibodies that protect the baby or child from infection, which is crucial in the early years as the immune system is not fully developed until the age of seven,” Mrs Oakley said.
However, he warns that it is necessary to ensure that the milk is free of disease or drugs and has been stored properly.
Brody Jenner also admitted last year that he used some of his fiancee’s breast milk in his morning coffee after running out of almond milk.
While it is perfect for babies, its consumption by adults can be risky, especially when purchased from strangers.
It can even transmit infectious diseases such as hepatitis B, HIV and syphilis.
NHS milk banks that accept donations from mums and mums-to-be make women undergo health tests to make sure they are not carrying any of these diseases and inadvertently passing them on to their babies.
The same goes for medications and prescription medications, some of which can pass into breast milk.
NHS milk banks also pasteurise the liquid, heating it to kill any bacteria and testing it to ensure it is safe for babies to consume.
Oakley said: “If an adult consumes their own milk, there is no risk.”
“If someone, at any age, whether a baby or a retiree, drinks milk from another human being, there is a risk of disease transmission, which is why breast milk is donated to milk banks for sick and premature babies (for whom Donated milk is usually life-saving) is sifted and pasteurized.
‘Of course, unpasteurized cow’s milk can also transmit diseases, which is why we pasteurize it for human consumption.
“Therefore, anyone who drinks milk from another human being should consider the source (whether the donor is healthy) and may want to pasteurize the milk, which can be done at home.”
Breast milk has also gained a reputation online as a bodybuilding superfood, under the controversial logic that if it helps babies gain mass quickly, then the same should be true for people.
Others have even said that it has helped them stay cancer-free, a healthy claim with very little evidence.
The NHS says any amount of breastfeeding is beneficial, but “exclusively” feeding your baby breast milk for their first six months of life offers “much more protection.”
However, experts have dismissed the idea that breast milk is a superfood for athletes.
Breast milk is low in protein, high in fat, and contains large amounts of lactose that many people cannot digest, making it a poor supplement for bodybuilding.
One expert even said that it “doesn’t contain anything specific that makes adults gain muscle.”
The cancer claims are based on some preliminary studies that suggest that a type of protein in breast milk can kill some cancer cells.
Not all breast milk contains the same nutritional values.
In fact, the composition of breast milk varies according to a 2016 study. reportwhich shows that there are changes between feedings throughout the day and between different women, which depends on how the baby grows and develops.
First, breast milk, known medically as colostrum, is rich in compounds that boost the immune system and then, over the next few weeks, the milk develops more nutrients, according to Sarah Steele, a researcher at the University of Cambridge.
In The conversation She explains that mature milk provides around 70 calories per 100g, which is made up of approximately 4g of fat, 7g of carbohydrates and 1g of protein.