By LAUREN ACURANTES
April 8, 2011, 12:32pm
No need for a double take, you did, indeed read that title right.
Scientists in China were able to genetically engineer cows to produce dairy very much similar to human breast milk.
Breast milk contains a protein called lysozome, which is said to help nursing babies ward off infection (also one reason why medical professionals extol the virtues of exclusive breastfeeding for babies up to six months).
Cow’s milk, said researchers, also have lysozome but only in trace amounts.
So, the researchers reasoned, if breast milk is so important to a baby’s well-being, but the mother is unable to (or chooses not to) lactate during her pregnancy, how would the baby get the necessary nutrient?
Not content by merely creating baby formula that might mimic mother’s breast milk, the researchers decided to genetically modify cows.
They injected the protein into calf embryos and “raised them once they were born.” Tests conducted later on were successful in showing that the milk produced contained high amounts of lysozome.
Still, for those wondering on what the milk will taste like, researchers assured that the modified cow’s milk still had the same “fat, protein and lactose contents similar to that of regular cows' milk.”
So, in theory, it should taste like regular cow’s milk, but with the added benefit of the “bacteria-killing activity” unique to human breast milk.
Source: Mother Nature Network
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