Though the “Breast is Best” campaign is a thing of the past, most organizations still know that breast milk is indeed best for your baby. And, it now seems that it’s not just best for baby. While researching antibiotics, scientists from the University of Lunt accidentally discovered a compound found in mother’s milk (nicknamed “Hamlet”) that was able to target and kill cancerous tumor cells. In fact, in early trials, those injected with the compound began to shed dead tumor cells through their urine within days.
Dr. Catharina Svanborg, a researcher on the team said, “We were looking for novel antimicrobial agents, and new breast milk is a very good source of these. During one experiment we needed human cells and bacteria to be present, and we chose human tumor cells for practical reasons. To our amazement, when we added this compound of milk, the tumor cells died. It was a totally serendipitous discovery.”
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It is believed that once the breast milk hits the gut it produces a protein called alpha-lactalbumin, and that is able to target cancer cells. And it targets the cancer cells alone, unlike chemo and radiation which damage both healthy and cancerous cells in the body.
The researchers hope the breast milk compound can also help with bowel and cervical cancer patients. Currently, a trial of the Hamlet substance (against a placebo) is being planned.
Nature knows.
Source: Yahoo!
