Yes, you read that right. 🪳
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| | | | | If you're reading this, I hate to inform you that, yes, cockroach milk is real. Said to be incredibly nutritious and healthy, it's been coined as an up-and-coming "superfood." However, production appears both impractical and questionably humane. | | If you can stomach it, keep reading to learn more about the potential benefits and drawbacks of cockroach milk. | | | | | | | Be well,
Morgan Mandriota
Newsletter Editor, Healthline |  | | Written by Morgan Mandriota
November 10, 2025 • 3 min read | | | | | | | |
| |  | | | | Cockroach milk: Promising superfood or nothing but hype? | | Nutritionally speaking, there is no such thing as a "superfood." However, certain foods have picked up the superfood label thanks to marketing purposes and a nutrient-rich profile linked to health benefits — cockroach milk being one of the latest. | | It's a protein-packed, crystallized substance produced by a specific type of cockroach called Diploptera punctata. This species is unique because it gives birth to live offspring, a little like humans and other mammals. The cockroach moms make "milk" in the form of protein crystals to nourish their developing young. | | In recent years, scientists have discovered that this milk-like substance is a highly nutritious source of carbs and fats. It also contains all nine essential amino acids — the building blocks of protein that can only be attained through your diet. Technically, that makes it a "complete" food, that is, it contains everything you need for healthy nutrition, plus that unique cockroach flavor kids love. | | Though cockroach milk is a unique nondairy milk alternative, it has several downsides. For starters, although it's nutritious, it's also very high in calories. One cup (250 ml) of cockroach milk contains approximately 700 calories. That's more than three times the calories in a cup of regular cow's milk. | | Harvesting this "milk" is currently a labor-intensive process, which involves killing female cockroaches and their embryos once they begin to lactate, before collecting the crystals from its midgut. And, according to one of the co-authors of a popular study on cockroach milk, it's not possible to mass-produce. They estimate it would require more than 1,000 dead cockroaches to make just 3.5 ounces (100 grams) of the milk. | | Perhaps most importantly, there's no research demonstrating that cockroach milk is safe for human consumption. (And even if it was, count me out.) | | So, for now, we can consider this one nothing but hype. Top marks for originality, though! If you're curious to learn more about the potential pros and cons, feast your eyes on the full article below. | | | | 👀 We're curious: Would you drink cockroach milk if it hit the shelves and offered these hyped up benefits? Email wellnesswire@healthline.com to share your thoughts. | | | | |   | | | | | | | | Until next time, |  | Take care of yourself, and we'll see
you again soon! | | |  | | |  | | This edition was powered by | | curiosity. | | | | | | | | View in browser
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