(NaturalNews) The health benefits of human breast milk are vast, and
researchers from Sweden have uncovered the presence of yet another
substance in breast milk with incredible cancer-fighting abilities. As
reported in a study published in the journal PLoS One, the
substance, known as "Human Alpha-lactalbumin Made LEthal to Tumor cells"
(HAMLET), effectively kills cancer cells, which in turn helps provide
lasting protection against tumor development in young children.
Back in the late 1980s, researchers from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC) found that breast-fed children are far less likely than children
fed formula and other unnatural foods to develop cancer. Now, it has
become a little clearer why this is the case, as breast milk contains
unique compounds like HAMLET that specifically target cancer cells while
leaving healthy cells to grow and multiply as normal.
"Laboratory
experiments have shown that HAMLET kills 40 different types of cancer,
and the researchers are now going on to study its effects on skin
cancer, tumors in the mucous membranes and brain tumors," explains Science Daily about the discovery. "HAMLET kills only cancer cells and does not affect healthy cells."
Scientists
originally discovered HAMLET on accident while researching the
antibacterial properties of human breast milk. Several years later,
researchers from Lund University and the University of Gothenburg,
both in Sweden, found that HAMLET contains a protein and a fatty acid
that contribute to its cancer-fighting effects. And further followup
research has revealed that the substance may actually form in the acidic
environment of babies' stomachs, the natural byproduct of breast milk consumption.
"HAMLET
is produced by combining alpha-lactalbumin in the milk and oleic acid
which is found in babies' stomachs," explained Assistant Professor Roger
Karlsson from the University of Gothenburg to the U.K.'s Telegraph about the findings. "So breast feeding has been linked to actually reducing the risk of cancer in babies. HAMLET also triggers some of the cell's apoptotic pathways -- apoptosis is programmed cell death."
Breast milk may help treat cancer in adults as well
But
young children may not be the only people who can benefit from
consuming breast milk. Human trials involving just the HAMLET component
of breast milk have
revealed that it can effectively treat male bladder cancer. Patients
with bladder cancer who received injections of HAMLET experienced a
reduction in cancer tumor size after just a few days of treatment.
"A
pilot study of bladder cancer patients were injected with a HAMLET
solution through a catheter," Prof. Karlsson is quoted as saying to the Telegraph. "The solution killed cancer cells and the size of the tumors actually reduced within five days."
Related
studies conducted over the years have found that other natural
compounds in breast milk help inhibit the growth and spread of cancer
cells as well. A 1994 study published in the journal Cancer Research,
for instance, found that the lactoferrin in breast milk inhibits the
growth of tumors in mice. And another study published the same year in
the journal Medical Hypothesis found that the fatty acids in breast milk also help deter cancer growth.
Additionally,
reports have surfaced over the years of people actually using human
breast milk to cure their own cancers. Several years ago, for instance, a
man allegedly cured his own prostate cancer by drinking a little bit of
breast milk every day. And in 2009, it was reported by ABC News
that a U.K. man took daily doses of his own daughter's breast milk to
help treat an allegedly terminal case of colon cancer that spread to his
liver and lymph nodes.
By naturalnews
