May 20, 2007 10:10 pm US/Eastern
Adults Using Breast Milk To Help Cure Cancer
by Dr. Mallika Marshall
BOSTON (WBZ) ―
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Swedish research has found that mother's milk killed cancer cells in petrie dishes.
CBS
We've all heard how much babies benefit from breast milk, so what about adults? As strange as it sounds, some people are looking to mother's milk as a treatment for cancer.
When Howard Cohen makes his smoothies, he adds fruit, yogurt, and milk but in his case, it's breast milk. "When you drink it straight, it has a bit of a yucky oily under taste."
Howard, who diagnosed with prostrate cancer, came across Swedish research that found that mother's milk killed cancer cells in petrie dishes. He gets his supply from a milk bank -- similar to a blood bank but for breast milk.
"We're noticing an increase in the number of patients who are adults and children who have a variety of types of cancer who are using human milk," said Pauline Sakamoto of the Mother's Milk Bank.
Leading specialists like Mass. General Hospital's Dr. David Newburgh say the Swedish research is interesting, but that there's no scientific proof that milk can help cancer patients. "I do think it's premature for adults to be drinking breast milk. It hasn't been fully tested yet and we like to be very careful not to use things in humans that we don't understand."
And Dr. Pamela Berens with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine worries that adults using donor milk will delete an already limited supply. "Right now, we don't have enough breast milk for our donor milk banks for the premature infants who we have such wonderful data about the benefits."
Proven or not, Howard is such a believer, that when his own cancer doctor wouldn't give him a prescription required to get breast milk, he found a doctor who would. He says he's cancer free. "Initially I was drinking it every day. I cut back to two bottles a week."
Breast milk from a milk bank runs on average $3 an ounce. Insurance does not cover the cost for adult consumption.
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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