There's a New Danger in Buying Breast Milk Online

You can order anything online, so why should breast milk be any different? For moms who know the health benefits of feeding a baby breast milk but can't breastfeed themselves, the rising trend in buying and shipping it has quickly become an intriguing option.

Unfortunately, a new study revealed you might not get what you pay for.

Researchers found that a staggering 10 percent of the breast milk bought online is topped off with cow's milk, an ingredient that can cause problems for infants with allergies or a lactose intolerance.

The results, published by the Center for Biobehavioral Health at the Research Institute at Nationwide Children's Hospital, showed that 10 out of 100 samples tested "had a level of bovine DNA consistent with human milk mixed with at least 10 percent fluid cow's milk."

There are few safe, certified milk banks to meet the growing demand — researchers estimated more than 55,000 individuals are sharing breast milk today, up from just 13,000 in 2013 — so those who can't get breast milk from a friend or relative have taken to shopping online, despite warnings by the FDA of the likelihood of contamination.

This study isn't the first to shoot down the viability of buying breast milk. Last year, the same researchers conducted a test for bacteria in online breast milk and found that 75 percent of the samples were tainted with dangerous contaminants, including salmonella.

"We wanted to study whether there really was evidence" stacked up against this practice, lead investigator Sarah Keim said. "It's pretty clear, based on the findings of this and our prior study that looked at infectious disease risks, that obtaining milk for your babies that way is not a safe practice or recommended."