For Immediate Release
Has Breast Milk Become an Internet Commodity, and Not Just for Infants?
Contact: Kathryn Ryan
914-740-2250
kryan@liebertpub.com
New Rochelle, NY, June 16, 2015—The practice of breast milk sharing among mothers has evolved into an Internet-based marketplace in which this valuable commodity is being bought and sold not only to feed babies, but as a “natural superfood” for body builders and athletes. An Editorial in Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine published by Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers, examines the relatively safe milk exchange models and the risks associated with breast milk purchase on the Internet. The article is available free on the Breastfeeding Medicine website until July 16, 2015.
“Clearly, breast milk has become a commodity,” says Arthur I. Eidelman, MD, Editor-in-Chief of Breastfeeding Medicine, in the Editorial “The Ultimate Social Network: Breast Milk Sharing via the Internet.” As women recognize its commercial value, “the altruistic donation of breast milk to regulated nonprofit milk banks is being threatened.” Dr. Eidelman comments on the potential risks of Internet-purchased breast milk, including dilution with cow's milk or bacterial contamination due to improper storage and refrigeration.
About the Journal
Breastfeeding Medicine, the official journal of the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine, is an authoritative, peer-reviewed, multidisciplinary journal published 10 times per year online with Open Access options and in print. The Journal publishes original scientific papers, reviews, and case studies on a broad spectrum of topics in lactation medicine. It presents evidence-based research advances and explores the immediate and long-term outcomes of breastfeeding, including the epidemiologic, physiologic, and psychological benefits of breastfeeding. Tables of content and a sample issue may be viewed on the Breastfeeding Medicine website.
About the Publisher
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Journal of Women's Health, Childhood Obesity, and Pediatric Allergy, Immunology, and Pulmonology. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN) was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 80 journals, books, and newsmagazines is available on the Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., publishers website.