Bodybuilders are increasingly turning away from protein shakes and even anabolic steroids in favour of a more natural boost - albeit one that some may find difficult to stomach.
Breast milk has emerged as the latest must-have dietary supplement for grown men who want to pack on pounds of muscle, with many buying the stuff direct from lactating women.
It's undoubtedly natural and unprocessed, but they could be taking a risk with their health; a recent study suggests Internet breast milk samples harbored colonies of staphylococcus bacteria.
The bugs can cause infections ranging from food poisoning to life threatening septicaemia.
Got milk? Bodybuilders are increasingly turning to breast milk as a food supplement, but they could be running the risk of poisoning by buying the stuff from unregulated online exchanges, experts warn
A single search on one bodybuilding forum reveals dozens of threads discussing the merits of breast milk for those trying to build muscle and eliminate fat.
Pointing to the prodigious growth of babies and toddlers, many touted claims that human milk is packed with the coveted Human Growth Hormone (HGH), high in protein, or is even 'the ultimate anabolic food'.
But experts have rebutted the claims, and they warn that drinking breast milk bought online can be dangerous.
Dr. Jacques Mortiz, a gynaecologist at Mount Sinai Roosevelt in New York, told ABC News: 'There is nothing specific in breast milk that will cause adults to gain muscle mass.'
Yet rumors that breast milk is a potent source of both HGH and Insulin-like Growth Factor 1 (IGF1) persist in the bodybuilding world, as well as anecdotal reports that drinking it gives trainees an unparalleled energy boost.
'It gives me incredible energy I don’t get from other food and drinks,' one athlete told New York Magazine last summer.
'I don’t believe in steroids or other energy supplements, none of that garbage,' said Anthony, who wouldn't give the magazine his surname. 'I want natural stuff that’s God-given, and if it’s okay with moms looking to get rid of it, I’ll take it.'
All naturally sourced... A single ounce of breast milk from an online marketplace can cost as much as $10, pricing a gallon at a staggering $1,600
But although it's not illicit, like the trade in anabolic steroids, breast milk is not exactly the kind of thing you can pick up in the chilled aisles of your local Walmart.
And it's not cheap, either.
A gallon of milk costs an average $3.44, according to CBS News, citing last week’s USDA’s National Retail Report. But a single ounce of breast milk from an online marketplace can cost as much as $10, pricing a gallon at a staggering $1,600 - putting it out of reach for all but the richest health fanatics.
Dr. Lana Gagin, a paediatrician with Helen De Vos Children's Hospital, told the Detroit Free Press she would discourage anyone from buying breast milk online.
'The way this milk is stored and processed is not always safe,' she said, citing a study published in the Journal of Pediatrics that tested 100 samples of Internet breast milk.
'They found that most of those samples were contaminated with bacteria, staphylococcus, and there were a few samples that were contaminated with salmonella even,' she told the paper.
The Food and Drug Administration in 2010 warned against buying breast milk online, but that doesn't seem to have done any harm to the growing market for it.
Still, as many wannabe Arnolds as there are looking for a breast milk fix, there are many others who take its purported benefits with a pinch of salt.
As one commenter on a Bodybuilding.com forum thread wrote: 'I like how this comes up like once a month in here. Do it bro! You will get insane gains! Ha ha.'
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2958478/Bodybuilders-desperate-bulk-turning-BREAST-milk-online-risking-health-staph-infections.html#ixzz3S8DDkLrX
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