Can Men Lactate?

We were at working a cafe and some asks one of the lads if he has any milk. Meaning in his jug on his side of the counter, but then another lad pipes up that men can actually produce milk if they rub their nipples long enough.  (Yes, I know the boy’s a weirdo and we teased him appropriately!)

 

So I investigated, at http://www.babycenter.com/404_can-men-breastfeed_8824.bc they say, “Yes, in theory, men can breastfeed. Male breasts have milk ducts, and some mammary tissue. They also have oxytocin and prolactin, the hormones responsible for milk production. There have been reports of men who were able to produce milk through extensive breast and nipple stimulation, but no one knows whether the milk was of the same composition or quality as the kind women produce.”

 

But, generally all the others say that yes they can produce milk as the equipment is there but it requires a hormonal stimulus too produce the prolactin. For example one treatment for prostate cancer is too give men female hormones, which can cause lactation.

 

 

At http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=strange-but-true-males-can-lactate they have the example of “In the 1896 compendium Anomalies and Curiosities of Medicine, George Gould and Walter Pyle catalogue several instances of male nursing being observed. Among them was a South American man, observed by Prussian naturalist Alexander von Humboldt, who subbed as wet nurse after his wife fell ill” which would suggest that these hormonal changes can happen in a natural setting.

 

In nature there is only one example of a male mammal that produces milk as a normal thing and the animal is the Dayak fruit bat native to south East Asia.

So, men can lactate. But, most scientists say it is caused by hormonal changes rather than physical stimulation. Unfortunately, being a lady I can’t conduct a personal experiment but if you decide to try can you let me know the result?

 

 

 

 

How To Make The Perfect Cup Of Tea

This is a central issue affecting the world today and it appears that everybody has their own opinion on the matter. My Boss and father agree it should be made in a pot and allowed to stew, (whoops I meant brew) until a really dark colour. While this is happening, you should put your milk and sugar in the cup ready. Where they differ is that my father goes for half tea and half milk and my boss goes for an 80% tea ratio.  

Personally, after student life, I’m a teabag in the mug type of girl. Sugar and teabag first, add boiling water while stirring then add the milk. Which is backed up by George Orwell “add milk to the tea, not vice versa” in his 11 rules for perfect tea (these can be found at http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/3016342.stm).

The internet is littered with websites on the matter including http://www.tea.co.uk/index.php?pgId=11 the website of the UK tea council, who say that four cups of tea are required for a balanced diet. I agree, that sounds like a marvellous plan!

http://www.englishteastore.com/howtomaketea.html claim that the best way to make tea “is to use an electric kettle to boil the water… An electric kettle is found in almost every home in Europe for this reason.” I’ll leave that statement to stand for itself, I think.

Another key issue in brew making is who’s going to do it, so Cravendale have created a handy brew randomiser to pick who the poor sap is, http://www.makethetea.com/ .

Generally, all the sites conclude that tea is best made in a pot with fresh boiling water, so you get the most oxygen into your tea. I however, can’t help feeling this is all a bit too far and will continue to brew in the mug. Perhaps that makes me a heathen, but at least I’m full of anti-intoxicants!