Buying human breast milk online poses serious health risk

英专家：网购人奶风险多

Buying human breast milk online poses serious health risk, say experts

A growing market in online sales of often contaminated human breast milk – fuelled in part by bodybuilders and adults with a baby fetish – poses a serious risk to public health, according to experts.

专家表示,不断扩大的人奶网络销售市场对公共健康造成严重威胁.这一市场多由健美爱好者和有恋婴癖的成年人催生,而网上售卖的人奶多数已被污染.

Researchers from the University of London's school of medicine and dentistry were so alarmed by their initial findings that they wrote an editorial in the British Medical Journal to warn of the dangers of buying breast milk online before their study was completed. The editorial says breast milk sold online should be screened for diseases such as hepatitis, HIV and syphilis.

伦敦大学医学和牙科学院的研究人员为他们初步的调查结果所震惊,因此在研究完成之前,他们先在《英国医学杂志》上发表了一篇社论,警示大家网购人奶的危险.他们在社论中写到,网上销售的人奶应该接受肝炎,艾滋病毒和梅毒等病毒筛查.

Lead author Dr Sarah Steele said she feared that babies would die from unscreened milk sold online if the market was not regulated. In one of the studies she cited, more than 90% of breast milk purchased online was found to have bacterial growth. Some of the sellers interviewed included intravenous drug users.

主笔萨拉·斯蒂尔表示,她担心,如果这个市场不受监管,将会有孩子会因为未经病毒筛查的网购人奶而死亡.她引用的一项研究显示,网购的人奶中有90%以上都发现有细菌滋生.有些受访的人奶卖家还是静脉注射吸毒者.

Unregulated websites selling breast milk attract tens of thousand of users in theUS, the research found. One site reported growing by 800 users each month. It also reported an emerging market in theUKon specialist sites as well as general retail sites including Gumtree and Craigslist. Premium prices of up $4 (£2.70) per fluid ounce (30ml) are offered by mothers who purport to eat only organic or vegan food, or can boast having "fat, chubby babies", the researchers found.

调查发现,在美国,不受监管的人奶售卖网站吸引了数万用户.有网站据称每月增长800名用户.此外,调查也发现英国的专业网站和普通零售网站,如 Gumtree和Craigslist等,也开始成为网购人奶的新兴市场.研究人员发现,优质的人奶的价格高达每盎司（30毫升）4美元,供应者声称只吃有机食品或素食,也有人吹嘘自己有"胖嘟嘟的婴儿".

The online market caters primarily for mothers who are unable to breastfeed their babies, serving as a cheaper alternative to regulated milk banks, wher the milk is always pasteurised. But consumers also include cancer patients who believe breast milk has health benefits and gym enthusiasts who believe breast milk is a natural superfood. A third group of adult consumers are fetishists "who like to be fed like a baby, either from source or from a bottle", according to Steele.

斯蒂尔表示,网上市场主要服务于那些无法用母乳喂养自己婴儿的母亲,相对于政府监管的奶源库来说,这个途径更便宜,政府监管的奶源库都是经过巴氏杀菌的.但也不乏其他类型的消费者,比如癌症患者,他们认为人奶有益于健康；此外,健身爱好者们也认为人奶是天然的超级食品.第三类消费人群是有特殊癖好的成年人,他们喜欢"像婴儿一样被喂食,要么直接从乳头吸食,要么从奶瓶里喝."

Steele explained the dangers: "When sellers freeze milk and send it in the mail it thaws out. That's when bacteria has time to grow and become really dangerous, especially for infants."

斯蒂尔解释饮用此类人奶的风险："卖家将奶冷冻后寄出,在邮寄的过程中人奶会融化.这时候细菌就有时间生长,造成真正的危险,特别是对婴幼儿而言."

Steele said the health benefits for adults of drinking breast milk were unproven. "Human breast milk doesn't really have that many advantages for adults," she said. "It is certainly not what you need in the context of bodybuilding and cross-fit, as a post-workout recovery drink."

斯蒂尔说,成人饮用人奶是否有益健康还未经考证. "人奶对成年人未必有那么多好处,"她说. "人奶肯定不是你健身和锻炼之后需要的能量饮品."

She pointed out that consuming breast milk was regularly discussed on mainstream online bodybuilding forums.

她指出,主流在线健身论坛会定期讨论饮用人奶的话题.

The paper concludes: "Although breast milk holds many known benefits, seeking out another's milk rather than turning to instant formula poses risks. When breast milk is screened and treated appropriately, as the World Health Organisation states, it remains second to a mother's own milk as best for infant feeding. At present, milk bought online is a far from ideal alternative, exposing infants and other consumers to microbiological and chemical agents. Urgent action is required to make this market safer."

那篇社论得出的结论是："虽然人奶有许多已知的好处,但是用别人的奶来替代配方奶粉却会带来风险.世界卫生组织表示,就算经过病毒筛查和妥善处理,人奶也无法取代自己母亲的乳汁成为婴儿喂食首选.目前,网购人奶还远不是一个理想的选择,会致使婴幼儿和其他消费者被微生物和化学物质所感染.我们要需要立即采取行动,让这一市场更加安全."