A mother claims that feeding her dying father breast milk gave him an extra year of life after he was diagnosed with terminal cancer.

Helen Fitzsimmons, 40, said she expressed and froze her baby son's milk to give to her 72-year-old father Arthur after reading numerous studies that found breast milk can boost the immune system.

She also spoke to her father, who was suffering from myeloma cancer and prostate cancer, and the pair decided it was worth trying.

Helen Fitzsimmons, left, said she expressed and froze her baby son's milk to give to her 72-year-old father Arthur, right, after reading numerous studies that found breast milk can boost the immune system

Ms Fitzsimmons spoke to her father, who was suffering from myeloma cancer and prostate cancer, and the pair decided it was worth trying out her breast milk

Arthur had been diagnosed with myeloma cancer in 2009, a slow-moving but terminal cancer which raises protein levels and in turn lowers the immune system and weakens bones, according to the Daily Mirror.

Four years later he was diagnosed with prostate cancer while already undergoing treatment with chemotherapy drugs.

The pensioner began drinking 2fl. oz of breast milk a day and his daughter claims it stopped his protein levels rising almost immediately.

Arthur had been diagnosed with myeloma cancer in 2009, a slow-moving but terminal cancer which raises protein levels and in turn lowers the immune system and weakens bones

Arthur died in Easter last year, 16 months after first drinking the breast milk. At one point Ms Fitzsimmons had even enlisted a breastfeeding friend to donate her milk too

Ms Fitzsimmons, of Cheltenham, said: 'The first time dad tasted my milk from a glass he drank it down in one go. He looked at me and smiled, then said "this tastes fine".

'I know there are some people who may find this all a little strange but when someone you love is suffering you would do anything to help them.

'I'd found a way to help my dad and I took it. It gave him hope and he lived 16 months after being diagnosed with prostate cancer.'

Arthur died in Easter last year, 16 months after first drinking the breast milk. At one point Ms Fitzsimmons had even enlisted a breastfeeding friend to donate her milk too.

She said her father's doctors were sceptical of alternative therapies, of which they said there was no proof actually worked, but the family are certain breast milk made a big difference.

They believe it added an extra 12 months to Arthur's life.

Ms Fitzsimmons said her father's doctors were sceptical of alternative therapies, of which they said there was no proof actually worked, but the family are certain breast milk made a big difference

CAN BREAST MILK REALLY HELP BOOST AN ADULT'S IMMUNE SYSTEM?

Only last year doctors warned that the growing market in the online sale of human breast milk is creating a serious health risk.

British experts spoke of their concern that the booming craze for breast milk - which is bought by adult fitness fanatics or those who have chronic diseases - could spread life-threatening disease.

An increasing number of adults are drinking breast milk, convinced that the health benefits it provides to infants could boost their fitness and immune systems.

Internet forums match buyers with breast-feeding mothers who have excess milk to sell.

Fetching £50 a pint or more, the milk is offered either fresh or frozen, and is often available by post.

Writing in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, they call for regulators to make it clear buying milk online is not safe.

‘The latest supplement – touted as completely natural, free-from and a ‘super food’ – human breast milk has emerged as a recent craze among adults,’ they said.

‘Online forums are replete with posts boasting about the immune, recovery, nutritional and muscle building benefits of human milk.

‘For those seeking a competitive edge, this milk is supposed to deliver significant returns.

‘A “clean” super food, it is purported to lead to ‘gains’ in the gym, to help with erectile dysfunction, to be more digestible and to contain positive immune building properties.’

But the experts, led by Dr Sarah Steele of Queen Mary University of London, said there is no evidence to back the claims.

Nutritionally, there is less protein in breast milk than cow’s milk, and clinical trials do not back the claim that adults can enjoy the health benefits experienced by brestfed babies.

More seriously, the doctors say human milk can be hazardous - spreading viruses such as hepatitis B and C, HIV and syphilis.

Because the milk is not pasteurised, it is also full of germs.

‘Research into breast milk bought online identified the presence of detectable bacteria in 93 per cent of samples,’ the authors wrote.