Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Living: Baby Food Formula

Health Education:

Photo credit: mamibuy.com.vn

Scientists produce the first ‘human’ breast milk in a lab

The product, Biomilq, is considered cultured breast milk that’s “nutritionally equivalent” to real human breast milk.

Two female scientists say they have made the first ‘human’ breast milk in a lab that could offer a supplementary breastfeeding option for nursing mothers to their babies.

The baby food product, Biomilq, is the world’s first lab-grown breast milk, whose nutrition profile matches the hundreds of proteins, complex carbs, fatty acids, and other lipids “abundantly present” in breast milk as closely as possible, according to a media report citing the scientists.

Leila Strickland, a cell biologist, got the motivation to grow artificial human breast milk after she struggled to stimulate enough breast milk to feed her son. She said she felt worn constantly massaging and pumping her breast harder in order to breastfeed her who had troubles latching

Leila Strickland began growing mammary cells in a lab in 2013 and partnered with food scientist Michelle Egger in 2019 to launch the start-up Biomilq and the scientists have even announced in June 2020 that they have secured $3.5 million from investors to complete the project.

Leila Strickland, the chief science officer, and Michelle Egger announced that their lab-grown mammary cells are a collection of two key components of breast milk: lactose and casein that would make up the baby food – a pivotal step in creating cultured breast milk that’s “nutritionally equivalent” to the real human breast milk.

Leila Strickland said that their latest work demonstrated that much of the complexity of milk can be achieved by replicating the intricate relationship between the cells that produce it and the conditions they experience inside the body during lactation.

Michelle Egger told The Insider that Biomilq will be launched and made available for consumption in three years, once they must have learned more about how the cells best thrive outside the body, ensure it is safe to use, and gained approval from regulators.

Other Eduonwheels’ posts on Health Education for Healthy Lifestyle and Wellness Living, that might interest you:

2 simple ways to be 3 years younger in 2 months

Expected Benefits and Likely Demerits of Biomilq

The expected benefits of Biomilq baby food are:

Biomilq may be cheaper than baby formula

Biomilq is expected to be cheaper than baby food formula. Michelle Egger said that the team is strategizing how to reduce costs so the product will be beneficially less expensive than formula. “We look forward to providing a product that overcomes financial, geographic, and time barriers,” Egger said.

Biomilq will be another supplemental feeding option

The artificial human breast milk is intended to be offered to parents as another supplemental feeding option to nourish healthier babies, empower parents through choice, and contribute to a healthier generation. Parents could be handed have another breastfeeding option outside breast milk and formula.

It will be convenient to use in the absence of breastfeeding mothers

The product, if approved as a supplemental feeding option, could especially come in handy for dads, non-biological parents, or parents whose babies have food allergies.

The likely demerits of the first world’s human-made breast milk:

 Biomilq isn’t identical or superior to breast milk

Biomilq, just like formula, can’t replicate all of those benefits of real breast milk because since it’s not human-made. It is neither identical in every way nor superior to breast milk.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends babies exclusively breastfeed for the first six months of life since extensive research links breastfeeding with a host of physical and mental health benefits for both the birthing parent and baby, including protection from childhood leukemia and bonding between parent and infant.

Biomilq could turn the parents’ hearts away from breastfeeding

This latest innovative breastfeeding technology in supplementary baby food production is welcoming but it could turn the parents’ hearts away from breastfeeding and make parents feel even worse about choosing formula over breastfeeding.

Biomilq could be harder for babies to digest

Just like formula, artificial human breast milk, also be harder for the baby to digest and might not adapt to the infant’s changing needs like breast milk.