Researchers in China have found exposure to breast milk can kill the virus that causes Covid-19.
REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, JAKARTA – A research team in Beijing, China tested the efficacy of breast milk (ASI) on cells exposed to Covid-19. Breast milk was collected in 2017, long before the start of the pandemic.
Reported page South China Morning Post, Tuesday (29/9), the types of cells tested varied, from animal kidney cells to human lung and intestinal cells from young age groups. The results of the study showed that most of the lines (strain) live virus killed so exposed breast milk.
“Breast milk blocks the attachment of the virus and even blocks the replication of the virus that enters the body,” said research leader from The Beijing University of Chemical Technology, Professor Tong Yigang in two papers that have not been peer reviewed and uploaded to biorxiv.org.
According to Chinese media reports, since February, newborn babies in Wuhan have had to be separated from their mothers who are positive for Covid-19. Babies are fully formula-fed instead of breast milk.
The policy was taken because of the process breastfeeding is thought to be able to spread the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cause of Covid-19, from mother to baby. The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) also warns that babies who are breastfed by mothers who are suspected or confirmed positive Covid-19 should also be considered as suspek carrier.
However, recent studies support the official stance of the World Health Organization (WHO), namely that mothers must continue to breastfeed even if they have Covid-19. The Global Health Body tracked 46 mothers exposed to Covid-19 who breastfed their children in several countries through June.
Viral genes are detected in ABOUT three mothers, but no evidence of infection. Only one child has tested positive for Covid-19, while it is almost impossible for him to catch it from someone other than his mother.
In their research, Tong and his team mixed several healthy cells into breast milk, rinsed them, then exposed them to the virus. They observed that almost no virus could bind to cells, let alone enter cells that had been exposed to breast milk.
In addition, the same treatment also appears to stop virus replication in infected cells. They concluded that infection could be inhibited by breast milk, which is known to have a suppressing effect on bacteria and viruses such as HIV.
They suspect the Covid-19 virus is sensitive to several well-known antiviral proteins in milk, such as lactoferrin. However, they did not find a single protein that worked as they had hoped.
According to Tong’s research, the ingredient most likely to inhibit the virus is whey protein. Whey protein found in cows and goats is able to suppress live virus strains by about 70 percent. In comparison, the efficacy of human whey protein reaches nearly 100 percent.
Breast milk is able to eliminate viruses in a wider range of cell types. However, researchers don’t yet know what caused these differences.
In his research, Tong has not found any signs of danger caused by breast milk. So far, they see that breast milk has the ability to encourage the proliferation of body cells while killing viruses.
Some parents are known to use donor breast milk to feed their babies. Before being given to babies, breast milk is often pasteurized to eliminate potential contamination.
The problem is, the Chinese team found that heating breast milk to 90 degrees for 10 minutes can deactivate whey protein. As a result, the level of protection against the Covid-19 virus will drop to below 20 percent.
“It is important to identify the main factors for the further development of antiviral drugs,” said the research team.
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