If you thought cloned meat was bad, get ready for this bit of science fiction: GOOD Magazine reports that China has genetically modified a herd of cows to produce "human" milk, intended as a replacement for human breast milk.
Disgusting? Or a viable alternative to infant formula?
Apparently the cow-human milk — it feels wrong to even write that phrase — "contains the characteristics of human milk," but "tastes stronger." China's recent melamine-tainted infant formula scare, which sickened over 300,000 babies, makes this biotech oddity a little more understandable, but as the article points out, an effort to increase awareness of the benefits of breast-feeding would be a simpler solution.
Besides, the components of breast milk are complex, a combination of antibodies, living cells, digestive enzymes, and hormones that science has yet to fully understand. Chinese scientists promise that we'll be able to pick up "human-milk-like products" at the market within ten years. We hope they're wrong.
• Check it out: Genetically Modified Cows Produce "Human" Milk - GOOD
What do you think about this new development? Would you ever buy milk like this?
Related: Where Is My Milk From?: Tracing the Dairy In Your Fridge
(Image: Flickr member chatblanc1 licensed under Creative Commons)
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I can't help but think of the old ad slogan: "It's not nice to fool with mother nature!" I think this sounds just plain scary.
No, no, it's much better that we continue to guilt a generation of women into thinking they're failures if they choose, or are forced to choose, bottle feeding over breastfeeding.
If it came from China I'd be highly suspicious. They have a very bad track record with anything related to infant nutrition.
Wrong on so many levels. Milk should only be consumed as an infant. Thanks to the milk industry and lobbyist we are coerced into believing we should be drinking milk all our lives.
Human milk for human babies.
Pig milk for pig babies.
Cow milk for cow babies... don't give them drugs so they produce too much & then tell humans they need to consume it. Don't genetically modify them so they produce milk for a different species.
We're fortunate to have formula milk for mothers who are unable to feed their own young (and aren't willing/able to use a wet-nurse), but other than that, we shouldn't drink the milk of other species. Dairy is not a wonderful source of calcium anyway as the best way is to have a diet with plenty of leafy green veg & Vitamin D (sunshine, anyone?) and then your body can get to work making/using the calcium it needs without dairy from another species.
Is this an early April fool's joke?
It might be good for those who can't breastfeed. It's still weird, though.
Oh no- we're one step closer to Megadonts and Windup Girls!
Scary. I'd be leery of all the hormones needed to create "human" milk. Besides which, a mother's milk changes and adapts to her baby's specific needs, I'm not sure that general human-like milk could compare.
kcunning, if you read the article about breastfeeding in China that's linked to in this article, you'll read this:
"The rates of exclusive breastfeeding during an infant’s first four months decreased from around 76 percent in 1998 to 64 percent in 2004. At six months, the percentage of babies being exclusively breastfed is only 51 percent."
So clearly Chinese women are *not* being made to feel guilty for feeding their babies formula. And China is, after all, going to be the market for this new product – not the US – so perhaps you shouldn't project your grudges about a problem you perceive in your own culture before understanding its equivalent (or lack of) in the culture in question?
please note that one of the listed components of human breast milk is antibodies. Cow's can't produce antibodies to human illnesses, can they?