Mother's milk helps to block HIV - Search for chemicals to stop the spread of AIDS latches on to breast milk. (nature.com)

Sugar-containing compounds in breast milk may reduce the transmission of HIV to suckling babies, suggests a lab-based study.

The findings do not mean that it is a good idea for HIV-positive mothers to breastfeed their infants, say the researchers, as the virus can still be transmitted this way. But if the results hold true in further studies, they could lead to new ways to block transmission of HIV between adults during sex.

Milk is already known to contain some substances that quell HIV. "Breast milk has all sorts of good stuff in it, such as antibodies from the mother," says Louise Kuhn, who studies HIV transmission at Columbia University in New York.


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