Kourtney Kardashian Drinks Breast Milk After Feeling Sick; Can Liquid Gold Boost Your Immunity?

Kourtney Kardashian, who welcomed her son, Rocky, with husband Travis Barker, in November, said she was feeling sick. To help herself, she drank her own breast milk.

Kourtney Kardashian Drinks Her Own Breast Milk

On Wednesday (April 10), the "Keeping Up With the Kardashians" alum took to her Instagram Stories and shared a selfie. In the caption, the celebrity mom of four shared that she was feeling sick and what she did in a bid to feel better.

"I just pounded a glass of breast milk because I feel sick. goodnight!" Kardashian wrote in the caption.

Days after the said post, it seemed that Kardashian wasn't still feeling well. The Poosh founder took to her Instagram Stories again on Friday (April 12) and asked her followers to send her "natural remedies" that can help her feel better because she was "sick in bed."

She posted a picture of what appeared to be apples, herbs, and other veggies simmering in water in the post's backdrop. Additionally, she provided a link to her "homemade" apple tea recipe with ginger and turmeric, which reportedly had "immune-boosting properties."

Kardashian didn't share any of the responses she received from online users. She, however, shared a picture of some breakfast foods on Saturday (April 13), which included croissants and mixed fruit with strawberries, blueberries, and blackberries.

In another post, she shared snaps of what appeared to be a Poosh pool party filled with floaties. It remains unclear if the reality star is already feeling well.

What Experts Say About Breast Milk?

Breast milk is called "liquid gold" due to its rich, golden color and valuable health benefits. It is high in protein, vitamins, minerals and immunoglobulins (antibodies) that support a growing baby's immune system. Per the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), it is designed to feed babies.

"Human breastmilk is known to contain many different substances that are stimulatory to the immune system of a [newborn]," said Amesh A. Adalja, MD, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security. "This also includes antibodies."

However, when it comes to breastmilk boosting an adult's immune system, there is little evidence to support this claim. It hasn't been studied in a placebo-controlled environment, and there has been no peer-reviewed research yet.

Adalja said it remains unclear what breast milk can offer to an adult with a mature immune system. Thomas Russo, MD, professor and expert in infectious diseases at the University of Buffalo in N.Y. doesn't think sick moms consuming their own breast milk will make a difference.

"If a mom who is nursing drinks her own breast milk, the benefit is going to be anywhere from limited to negligible because she already has those antibodies," Russo said. "I really don't think this is beneficial for mom."

Although breast milk is generally safe, one should not drink it from someone else because it is still a bodily fluid, which means that it can contain bacteria and there's a risk of passing infectious diseases like cytomegalovirus, HIV, hepatitis B and C, and syphilis.

Russo warns that while breast milk has some antibodies, drinking it from somebody else risks one from getting communicable diseases.

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