By Dayne Hudson
Well, I think it's safe to say we've heard it all.
A woman known only as Rebecca was stunned recently in a supermarket, when a man walked up and asked if he could have some of her breastmilk.
“A gentleman walked up and asked if I was breastfeeding my daughter,” Rebecca told the KOMO News Network.
“He lingered for a minute and you could tell he was a little nervous to ask, and then he asked if I would be interested in selling him my breast milk" she recounts.
“I just sort of looked at him strangely and said ‘I don’t think so, but if you need breast milk they have milk banks for that — to make sure babies get milk’ and he said ‘Oh, no it’s for me. I’m doing bodybuilding and CrossFit.’”
Unfortunetly, this is nothing new. The website onlythebreast.com allows for men to buy breast milk to assist in their fitness regimes.
Jennifer Rowse is a seller on the site, and has an 11-month-old baby.
She pumps her milk twice daily to sell or to donate to a local hospital, and has so far made $700!
She has three male customers who give nothing away about themselves when purchasing her brew.
“Even when they call me their numbers are blocked. They just don’t want to be seen or known” she said.
“They usually first ask if there’s anymore milk available. My own personal opinion is breast milk from a human being is way more natural than drinking from another species’ milk.”
Other publications have touched on this topic before, with one user known as Anthony saying: “It gives me incredible energy I don’t get from other food and drinks."
“I don’t believe in steroids or other energy supplements, none of that garbage … I want natural stuff that’s God-given.”
BREAST MILK FOR BODYBUILDING AND MUSCLE GROWTH?
Highly unlikely.
There's currently no solid scientific research into breast milk as a recovery or muscle building supplement.
To quote Elizabeth Quinn, who has studied breast milk for years out of Washington Univeristy in St. Louis:
“Human milk has tons of beneficial stuff, but I don’t think it’s targeting what (athletes) hope it would target. Professionally, I can’t think of any reason why it would work.”
Breast milk contains as low as 20% of the protein that standard protein shakes contain, which is nothing to get excited about.
Furthermore, the protein in breast milk is relatively easy to digest.
Whilst this is beneficial for babies, it doesn't mean it's the same for adults.
The tip?
Stick to your current protein sources and continue to leave your breast milk days behind you!
