The online market caters primarily for mothers who are unable to breastfeed their babies, serving as a cheaper alternative to regulated milk banks, where 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.
斯蒂爾表示,網上市場主要服務于那些無法用母乳喂養自己嬰兒的母親,相對于政府監管的奶源庫來說,這個途徑更便宜,政府監管的奶源庫都是經過巴氏殺菌的.但也不乏其他類型的消費者,比如癌癥患者,他們認為人奶有益于健康；此外,健身愛好者們也認為人奶是天然的超級食品.第三類消費人群是有特殊癖好的成年人,他們喜歡"像嬰兒一樣被喂食,要么直接從乳頭吸食,要么從奶瓶里喝."
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."
斯蒂爾解釋飲用此類人奶的風險："賣家將奶冷凍后寄出,在郵寄的過程中人奶會融化.這時候細菌就有時間生長,造成真正的危險,特別是對嬰幼兒而言."
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."
斯蒂爾說,成人飲用人奶是否有益健康還未經考證. "人奶對成年人未必有那么多好處,"她說. "人奶肯定不是你健身和鍛煉之后需要的能量飲品."
She pointed out that consuming breast milk was regularly discussed on mainstream online bodybuilding forums.
她指出,主流在線健身論壇會定期討論飲用人奶的話題.
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."
那篇社論得出的結論是："雖然人奶有許多已知的好處,但是用別人的奶來替代配方奶粉卻會帶來風險.世界衛生組織表示,就算經過病毒篩查和妥善處理,人奶也無法取代自己母親的乳汁成為嬰兒喂食首選.目前,網購人奶還遠不是一個理想的選擇,會致使嬰幼兒和其他消費者被微生物和化學物質所感染.我們要需要立即采取行動,讓這一市場更加安全."
