Mother’s milk.

So yeah, we get it. The need for guys to bulk up in the gym is always an ever present topic of conversation. Bodybuilders are constantly in search of a new source of protein, fat, or carb that’s going to make the difference in their gains in the gym. Usually, we wouldn’t even bat an eye at that. Hell, we’d likely be searching for the same thing side by side. But this time it looks like things are getting a bit out of hand.

There seems to be a fad going around in the bodybuilding community, a new food that some guys are adding to their diet. Breast milk. Now, we know what you’re thinking. You’ve heard before, you’ve heard that it’s like the nectar of the Gods, and you would be right…If you were talking about babies. Perhaps you’ve already seen the articles hyping this up with titles like, “Breast milk is the new steroid for bodybuilders” or “How breast milk is the #1 supplement you need.” The idea is that if breast milk is the most important and essential supplement in a baby’s growth – it must continue to provide that powerful growth for adults who want to build more muscle. Well as far as grown men are concerned however, there doesn’t seem to be all that much benefit from it – despite what you may have been reading.

Per one cup of breast milk you’re only going to get 2.5 grams of protein, 10.8 grams of fat, and 17 grams of carbs. Other than the higher carb rate for energy, there’s little to no benefits you’d get from breast milk versus cow milk. Cow milk offers 7.9 grams of protein, 7.9 grams of fat, and 11 grams of carbs, far more balanced numbers for you macro nutrient intake. Breast milk also has a higher calorie count compared to cow milk, 172 to cow’s 146. Thing about milk that you find at your grocery store is that there are a bunch of chemicals pumped into it that cause it to be less than great for your diet. Milk being able to last for weeks or months is not necessarily natural, which begs the question if having stock cow milk in your diet is truly more beneficial. But you plan on sticking with milk, for those who have issues digesting cow milk, goat milk is a great alternative that some believe to be most closely related to human breast milk, lower in cholesterol than cow’s milk with slightly better nutritional value in most cases.

So maybe your argument would be in favor of the higher calorie count for bulking. Well, when you add in the fact that many breast milks ordered online have been found to contain harmful bacteria, including staph and strep, then you can begin to see why avoiding breast milk is probably your best bet; unless you enjoy getting sick, which in that case, go for it. We don’t know how this fad got started or how long it plans to stick around, but if we can give you any piece of advise it’s this: leave the breast milk to the babies.

What’s your opinion on breast milk for your gains? Let us know in the comments below and be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.