According to Pediatricians breast milk is best for infants rather than other instant formula, but buying it online is not the best replacement which a woman can do.
A study has revealed that breast milk bought online contains cow milk.
They have taken 10 breast milk samples which they bought online for testing and the result was not surprising for the researches as they believe online breast milk is not good for infants.
They found that 10 percent of samples contain bovine DNA in the milk which is the genetic material of cow’s milk.
Sarah Keim, a principal investigator at the Center for Biobehavioral Health at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, who led the study said, “Purchasing breast milk online is not a good idea and introduces too many risks for infants.”
Earlier studies done by the researchers revealed that the breast milk bought online is contaminated with bacteria and risk the infant of many infectious diseases.
The bacteria may be the result of poor collection, storage, and shipping.
Keim said even small quantity of cow’s milk is harmful for the infant as the infant may be allergic to cow’s milk and may not digest it.
Cow’s milk is not dangerous but it is not advisable to give it to the infant under 12 months of age.
Women may need breast milk when they couldn’t produce sufficient amount or when they have adopted a baby and hence they search for alternatives and end up ordering online.
Websites have listing guidelines for the donors about the collection, storage and shipping and also mentions the habits of the donors like whether they smoke, eating habits, etc. but the website itself doesn’t test the breast milk.
The state regulated banks or human breast milk banks are considered the safest means of purchasing breast milk.
