In California, the world’s first breast milk institute has opened, where experts will investigate whether breast milk may be utilized to cure a variety of disorders.
In San Diego, the Human Milk Institute will test breast milk as a treatment for chronic conditions such as heart disease, diabetes, and breast cancer.
Decades of research have demonstrated that human milk boosts infants’ brains, immune systems, and bones; however, this lab will also investigate its influence on adults.
Professor Lars Bode, the HMI’s director of funding, stated, ‘Physicians and scientists at UC San Diego and elsewhere have been conducting this research for some time, although mostly in isolation within their fields of study.
“With the new… Human Milk Institute… we have the chance to learn, coordinate, and communicate in a single, accessible location, and to speak with one voice.
Both research and clinical treatment can contribute to education.
The unique, first-of-its-kind center unites diverse laboratories at the University of California, San Diego that have been researching the nature, biology, and therapeutic potential of human milk.
Dr. Christina Chambers, professor of pediatrics at the UC San Diego School of Medicine and director of Mommy’s Milk Human Milk Research Biorepository, stated, “From the research lab to the neonatal intensive care unit, the HMI will bring us together in unprecedented ways to support our monumental efforts in discovering how human milk can benefit people of all ages.
Breastmilk offers children an essential blend of vitamins, protein, and fat that primes their immune systems to fight off infections.
These bioactive components may be essential to the development of novel medications for difficult-to-treat illnesses.
Professor Bode, a pediatrician at the UC San Diego School of Medicine, stated, “We will seek to answer vital and potentially life-saving issues, such as “Can components of human milk be transformed into natural medicines or serve as non-invasive diagnostics?”
Our findings may also assist in reducing the risk of heart attack and stroke in adults,” he said.
In addition to community outreach and education initiatives, the institute provides a milk donation bank where selfless moms can drop off breast milk to be sterilized and evaluated for any toxins and nutrients.
The rates of breastfeeding vary by state but are generally high.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention discovered that 83 percent of babies born in 2019 were breastfed at some point in their early lives.
Nearly 56% of infants were nursed at six months, the recommended length of time for nursing.
The founding of the HMI follows an infant formula scarcity that has lasted for a year in several parts of the United States.
At the height of the shortage, when moms were frantically searching for sustenance for their infants, several were attacked online for not breastfeeding for free to circumvent the shortage.
In truth, there are numerous reasons why some women may not be able to breastfeed.
Women without enough glandular tissue cannot produce milk.
New mothers with health conditions that result in extreme hormone imbalances, such as thyroid dysfunction or polycystic ovarian syndrome, may also experience difficulties breastfeeding.
