Study: Breast milk bought online is often mixed with cow's milk

Health experts are warning that breast milk sold online could contain cow's milk, a dangerous prospect for babies who are allergic.

A study published Monday in Pediatrics found that 10 out of 102 breast milk samples bought online contained at least 10 percent cow's milk, USA Today reports. In a previous study, lead author Sarah Keim, a researcher at Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, found that 75 percent of samples purchased were contaminated with bacteria or viruses.

Families most often purchase breast milk online because mothers are not producing enough on their own, the journal BMJ reports, but there is also a "narrow group of adult consumers (including people with cancer, gym enthusiasts, and fetishists)" who are buying. Keim said the market is there because "[health authorities] have done a really good job over the past 20 years of promoting the benefits of breastfeeding. Unfortunately, some women are very focused on feeding their babies breast milk at all costs."

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