Breast Milk For Sale Bought By B.C. Fitness Buffs

The list of non-baby uses for breast milk grows with news that a B.C. mother has sold it to two fitness buffs.

Jennifer Rowse, a nutritionist from Langley who has an 11-month-old son, sells her breast milk for $2 an ounce on Craigslist, reported The Province.

The newspaper said Rowse has made $700 for her son's college fund, and recently sold her milk to two men for "gym purposes."

(However, she donates most of her extra milk to the B.C. Women's Milk Bank, where it is pasteurized and fed to high-risk or sick babies.)

Health Canada recommends that infants be fed exclusively with nutrient-rich breast milk for the first six months of their lives because it provides the right amount of fat, sugar, water, and protein. It also contains immunoglobulins that protect from infection. However, there's no evidence that adults benefit from breast milk.

Breast milk has been increasingly showing up as an ingredient in items meant for more than babies, such as breast milk lollipops, breast milk ice cream, and breast milk cheeses.

Several years ago, a British woman cooked dishes like lasagna and cupcakes with breast milk that she even sold at food festivals.

Bodybuilding forums praise breast milk as the "greatest supplement ever" and New York Magazine spoke to a male athlete who said he drank it for an energy boost.

The feature also mentioned patients going through chemotherapy who consume breast milk for the nutrients.

But health professionals caution against privately sold breast milk. Last year, researchers found potentially dangerous bacteria, including salmonella, in samples sold by women online.

Health Canada warns against obtaining breast milk from sources other than authorized milk banks:

There is a potential risk that the milk may be contaminated with viruses such as HIV or bacteria which can cause food poisoning. In addition, traces of substances such as prescription and non-prescription drugs can be transmitted through human milk. Improper hygiene when expressing the milk, as well as improper storage and handling, could also cause the milk to spoil or be contaminated with bacteria and/or viruses that may cause illness.

Dr. Shawn Evans of Scripps La Jolla Hospital said muscle or health benefits for adults drinking breast milk is a myth. "It's a dangerous practice," he told FOX News.