I guess that my observation would be that although the iron in human milk
would be better absorbed, the amount of milk that would need to be
ingested, compared to a baby, would be very large. Also remember that
ultimate iron status in babies is closely tied to the amount of iron stores
at birth - those with decreased storage may become anemic inspite of
breastfeeding. So if this person is already badly anemic, it will take more
human milk to really make the difference.
BTW, only a small amount of iron in human milk is bound to lactoferrin, so
I'm not sure what impact pasteurization would have there. Lactoferrin
levels are much higher in colostrum than in mature milk. Again, it is a
matter of how much lactoferrin an adult would need to ingest to have an
affect on either iron metabolism or immune status.
Overall nutritional status plays a big role in hemoglobin production as do
hormones produced by the kidneys. Damage caused by cancer treatment may
interfere with the process above and beyond the nutritional issues due to
surgery. Certainly the addition of human milk therapy could only be
beneficial, but it will probably take close consultation with an
experienced oncology nutritionist to really make a difference. If his
physician's only suggestion is iron pills, then he needs a better team.
Sharon Knorr, BSMT(ASCP), IBCLC
On Mar 28, 2013 4:53 PM, "Cassie - LLLC" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> Hello everyone,
>
> PTP
> I am looking for articles which could be shared with an adult cancer
> patient's medical team regarding possible benefits of using human milk to
> ameliorate low iron/hemoglobin.
> The individual has lost part of his stomach, colon, and his bladder and
> understandably does not absorb nutrients well, particularly the iron pills
> which have been prescribed for his low iron/hemoglobin.
> I have found some articles regarding human milk use in treating/fighting
> cancer, however can't find anything relating directly to iron.
>
> Does anyone know whether the effects of holder pasteurization which
> apparently reduce lactoferrin would mean that the resulting iron amount and
> bioavailability would be significantly lower than in fresh milk? I have
> not seen this as a concern with regards to using pasteurized donor (milk
> bank) milk with infants.
>
> As a separate question, if anyone has suggestions for the most current
> research on treating cancer with human milk, I'd be interested.
>
> Regards,
> Cassie Kent, IBCLC
>
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