A recent study proved that breast milk has anti-cancer properties, thanks to an accidental discovery made over 30 years ago.
Promising results from study show breast milk kills cancer cells.
The largest clinical trial to date of its kind took place in Prague, Czech Republic. Over the course of a month, 40 patients with bladder cancer were administered six doses of a drug that was synthesized from alpha-lactalbumin, a protein found in human breast milk.
It is bound to a fatty acid called oleic acid.
The experimental drug is called human alpha-lactalbumin made lethal to tumor cells, or Hamlet for short. Hamlet was given through a catheter and the prescribed dosage was given before patients had surgery.
Patients who had the drug were found to have passed out cancer cells from dissolved tumors.
Professor Catharina Svanborg at Lund University in Sweden shared that “the results inspire us to continue the efforts making Alpha1H available to cancer patients.”
The results were promising, as they proved Hamlet’s ability to target specific tumors with minimal or no side effects.
The future of cancer treatment is bright.
Mats Persson, the CEO of Hamlet Pharma Ltd, said, “This is a very important milestone for the company. We need more evidence but hopefully this could be the gentle chemotherapy of the future.”
Hamlet has over 20 years of research invested since Svanborg accidentally made the discovery when she led a research team investigating the properties of breast milk.
While it’s well-known that breast milk is superior to cow’s milk, she didn’t expect to find the potential cancer-killing protein.
Now, studies showed Hamlet has the ability to kill more than 40 different types of cancer cells in a laboratory setting.
And there are big plans for Hamlet, with the aim of making it an accessible drug worldwide.
“If efficacy can be combined with a lack of toxicity, it is possible that this treatment can be used both as prevention and therapy. The vision would be to make it available worldwide, to patients who are susceptible to certain cancers, or who suffer from tumors that can be reached and treated with this substance,” Svanborg said.
It could potentially be a viable and more comfortable alternative to current treatment options like chemotherapy and radiotherapy, due to Hamlet’s ability to target tumor cells while leaving healthy, adjacent cells unharmed. There are also no signs of side effects associated with commonplace treatment options such as nausea, hair loss, and nerve damage.
Another reason why breast milk is so good!
This article was republished with permission from theAsianParent.
theAsianparent is a publication under Tickled Media Pte Ltd. Started in September 2009, it is the largest parenting website in Southeast Asia, targeted at urban parents and parents-to-be who live in Asia or are of Asian heritage. theAsianparent speaks to every stage and priority of an Asian mom’s journey — from pre-conception to pregnancy, to breastfeeding, and even how to raise smart, strong and kind children.*
