Adults suppose drink breast milk?

Pipo dey call am "liquid gold." Some experts even say na source of "magical powers."

Scientists agree say breast milk dey provide nutrients and antibodies for babies and e dey essential for dia growth. But some adults dey bank on dia perceived superfood abilities.

39-year-old Jameson Ritenour, na father of three, im take im first sip of breast milk wen im partner Melissa bin dey breastfeed – she bin dey produce extra milk wey she no need.

"I dey put am inside my shakes, even though she bin feel say e dey one kain," Im tell BBC.

Jameson bin dey curious about di benefits of breast milk afta im watch a YouTube video wia a bodybuilder bin tok about di effects of drinking milk.

"Im big well-well," Jameson tok.

To drink im partner breast milk don become part of Jamesons' routine: im dey take two bags a day, each dey about eight ounces.

"I bin dey di best shape of my life," im tell BBC.

"E bin help me build muscle. I bin dey losing weight, while I also put on about 5% of muscle mass in about eight weeks."

Jameson say Im no fit remember ever falling sick or catching cold while human milk bin dey part of im diet.

"I want grow like baby and sleep like baby, so I decide say I go also eat like baby," Im say. "I bin feel good and I bin look good."

Buying online dey risky

Sabi pipo say scientific evidence no dey to suggest say to drink breast milk get any benefits for adult body.

But leading experts say e fit still dey beneficial, dem point to di anecdotal evidence.

"E get a lot of protein - baby dey grow muscles quick- quick, and of course dat na wetin bodybuilders want," na so Dr Lars Bode tok, di founding director of di Human Milk Institute for University of California, San Diego for United States.

"Bodybuilders dey very much in tune wit dia bodies, so something fit dey dia. We just no know di science behind it."

But Dr Bode advise caution for now, sake of di questionable sources wey pipo dey buy human milk on Facebook, Craigslist and Reddit.

"Dat milk dem neva test am, den add di health risks," Dr Bode. warn pipo "E fit be a vector for diseases like HIV or hepatitis."

Breast milk also dey only as good as di diet and general health of di pesin wey dey produce am, and e fit can be a vector for a number of infections.

Women most times dey pump for environment wey no dey controlled or sterile, and so di milk fit easily dey contaminated.

One study for 2015 wey Nationwide Children Hospital for US conduct reveal say out of 101 samples of breast milk wey pipo bin buy online, 75% get harmful pathogens and 10% of di samples bin dey mixed wit cow milk or baby formula.

After Jameson sperate from im partner Melissa im bin no longer get access to di breastmilk im bin store inside freezer, na wen im decide to start to buy online.

Im say im no dey aware of di risks of di milk to dey contaminated.

"I buy am off one random pesin for internet, but I do small investigation for Facebook and she look normal," Jameson tok. "So, I decide to take my chances."

Di lack of scientific data no be concern for am, becos im say im own experience dey extremely positive.

Wetin wey dey less positive, im tok, na di stigma im dey face.

"Pipo definitely dey use side eye look, becos mentally milk na for babies. But e no dey as weird as pipo think."

What about vulnerable babies?

"I no ever tell adults to drink breast milk," na wetin Dr Meghan Azad, wey dey research how human breast milk dey support infant health.

"I no think say e go harm dem, but fit potentially harm babies wey really need breast milk - like premature babies - and dey struggle to get am."

Dr Bode say pipo suppose donate excess human milk to babies wey need am, rather dan sell am for profit.

"We no get enough milk to feed di most vulnerable babies. Breast milk get properties wey fit cure diseases for preterm infants. E fit save lives."

Dr Azad points to di fact say if struggling mothers feel say dem fit make money by selling milk to bodybuilders online, dat fit further escalate di growing and risky trend of buying breastmilk for adult consumption.

But Jameson say im no dey feel guilty.

"Pipo don accuse me of starving babies. But no be like say I dey stand outside hospitals, to ask mums to give me all dia milk!"

In fact, im say im don get ova100 women wey don contact am, to try to sell dia extra breast milk.

Unlocking potential health benefits

Human milk na largely one area wey sabi pipo neva too do research.

"For a long time, pipo wey dey fund research no really care about breast milk, becos dem see am as an unimportant women's issue," na wetin Dr Azad tok. "Na patriarchal view."

But dat dey change.

In contrast to di risks of adults drinking breast milk, some components now dem dey study am as potential treatments for a number of adult conditions, including arthritis, heart disease, cancer and irritable bowel syndrome.

Dr Azad dey particularly excited about di potential health benefits of human milk oligosaccharides (HMOs), wey be di prebiotic fibres wey dey inside breast milk.

Dis fibres humans no dey digest am but dem dey used by beneficial gut bacteria to promote a healthy microbiome for babies.

"Researchers dey look whether adults fit use di HMOs to help wit conditions like inflammatory bowel disease," na wetin Dr Azad tok.

"We know say microbiome dey important for so many aspects of our health - so if we fit discover new ways to manipulate and improve di gut microbiome, dat fit get all sorts of benefits. And HMOs from breast milk dey show a lot of promise."

For one study in mice wey dem publish for 2021, Dr Bode find out say one HMO reduce di development of atherosclerosis - at na di blockage of arteries wey dey lead to heart attack and stroke.

"Human milk components dey remarkably unique," na wetin Dr Bode tok. "Na di only tin wey dey developed by humans for humans."

Unlike most pharmaceuticals, wey dey develop am through artificial compounds wey pipo go come put inside dia bodies, im say human milk compounds dey potentially safer and more effective.

But while dem hold significant promise, di clinical data still dey scarce.

If ongoing clinical studies prove successful - wey Dr Bode dey confident about - these compounds fit play a major role to prevent heart attacks and strokes, wey dey cause millions of deaths every year.

"Imagine say we fit reduce di number of pipo wey dey die from heart attack and stroke by a million. E go be ogbonge development," Dr Bode tok.