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We all know the importance of breast milk for babies, but could it have a benefit for grownups too? You might be surprised to learn a growing number of people are turning to mother's milk as a cancer treatment! Making smoothies is routine for Howard Cohen. They contain fruit, yogurt and milk. But not just any kind of milk: breast milk. "If you drink it straight, it has a bit of a yucky, oily under taste," Howard says. After being diagnosed with prostate cancer, Howard came across some Swedish research that found a protein in mother's milk killed cancer cells in petri dishes. "This became a very interesting prospect," Howard says. So he decided against mainstream therapies and gave it a try. At first, Howard got his supply from a friend who was breastfeeding. Now he picks it up at a milk bank, which is similar to a blood bank, but for breast milk. A doctor's prescription is required. Pauline Sakamoto works for the Mothers' Milk Bank in San Jose. "We're noticing an increase in the number of patients who are adults and children who have a variety of types of cancer who are using human milk," Sakamoto says. Her milk bank has already supplied about 60 cancer patients. "It may not mean that the cancer is cured but we are seeing a dramatic change in the quality of life for some of them,' Sakamoto tells us. Leading specialists say the Swedish research is interesting, but there's no scientific proof that the milk can help cancer patients. Dr. David Newburg works at Massachusetts General Hospital, and studies the potential health benefits of breast milk. "I do think that it's premature for adults to be drinking breast milk. It hasn't been fully tested yet and we like to be very careful not to use things in humans that we don't understand," Dr. Newburg explains. Dr. Pamela Berens with the Academy of Breastfeeding Medicine agrees. She also worries adults using donor milk will deplete the already limited supply. "Right now we don't have enough breast milk for our donor milk banks for the premature infants who we have such wonderful data about the benefits," Dr. Berens warns. Proven benefits or not, Howard is such a believer that when his own cancer doctor wouldn't give him a prescription, he found a doctor who would. "Initially I was drinking it every day. I cut back to two bottles a week," Howard says. Now, he says he's cancer free and plans to keep drinking his special milk. Breast milk from a milk bank runs about $3 an ounce. Insurance does not cover the costs for adult consumption. Calls to Howard's urologist to confirm he's now cancer free were not returned.