Breast milk’s benefits are not limited to babies

What is also true—and this was the serious point of Dr Hinde’s talk—is that scientists have been neglecting a goldmine. Unlike wine or tomatoes, breast milk's physiological properties have been honed by evolution to be healthy. In babies it can reduce inflammation, kill pathogens and improve the health of the immune system. As a result, some components of breast milk are now being studied as potential treatments for a host of adult conditions, including cancer, heart disease, arthritis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Scientists may never look at breast milk in the same way again.