SAN DIEGO – Healthcare professionals have urged women to breast fed their babies due to the health benefits of doing so, but many adults who participate in bodybuilding are claiming human milk is the best supplement for building muscle.
Bodybuilder of 30 years, Pete Cicconi, says he has heard of people using women’s breast milk as a supplement with their workouts.
“Obviously, if babies are getting stimulation of their growth hormone and they are growing and maturing from newborn to toddler, then bodybuilders back in the day surmised there must be some benefit to us,” Cicconi told FOX 4’s sister station KSWB.
According to FOX 5 News in San Diego, who spoke with bodybuilders from a local gym, many had heard of the practice but a few say they have yet to meet anyone who actually drinks human milk as a way to bulk up. However some of the heavy-duty lifters said it didn’t surprise them in the slightest that people might be trying this method.
“It’s not a shock. You could have told me it was motor oil instead and I wouldn`t have blinked,” said Rick Stephenson, a gym owner and former pro bodybuilder.
Personal trainer Matt Upchurch says he has known several guys who have tried everything from steroids and ephedrine to popping erectile dysfunction pills to increase blood flow.
“Everyone is looking for a quick fix or a special pill or something,” said Upchurch.
Several new mothers, who sell or donate their excess breast milk, specify that the milk be used for babies only, however some say they have been contacted by adult male looking to buy it.
Doctors warn that because breast milk isn’t screened or regulated, it can contain several different types of bacteria, including both staph and strep, despite ads that claim the mothers who provided it were healthy and took prenatal vitamins. In fact a recent study from the New York Times says 74 percent of the samples tested, which were taken from milk-sharing sites, contained some kind of bacteria.
Breast milk is readily available online on sites like Craigslist. Fox 5 found several new mothers selling their milk for roughly $2 an ounce. Most of the ads specified that the milk had to be used for babies or cancer patients, not men. One mom told Fox 5 via email she has had men email her and she refused to sell to him.
The ads also say the milk is clean and the mothers used prenatal vitamins and were healthy, but local doctors warn there is no way for sure to know. A recent study from the New York Times found 74 percent of samples from milk-sharing sites had some type of bacteria, including staph and strep.
“It’s a dangerous practice,” Dr. Shawn Evans of Scripps La Jolla Hospital told FOX 5. “There are calories associated with it and one can argue that are lipids and carbohydrates and protein sources, but not to the degree that people have made it out to be. It’s a big myth.”
CLICK HERE for FOX 5’s story.
