They Say: Breastfeeding Reduces Cancer Risk

The breast is best debate has hit the headlines once again. New research has suggested that women with a family history of breast cancer may reduce the risk of developing the disease by breastfeeding.

The US study, published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, looked at over 60,000 women who had given birth and had participated in a major health survey from 1997 to 2005. According to results, those women who had a mother or sister affected by breast cancer, lowered the chance of developing the disease by almost 60%, by breastfeeding. The link did not appear to be effected by duration of breastfeeding or whether the mother breastfed exclusively.

As Dr Alison Stuebe of the University of Carolina, who conducted the research, explained:

“Breastfeeding is good for mothers and for babies… These data suggest that women with a family history of breast cancer should be strongly encouraged to breastfeed.”

The study also found women who did not breastfeed but used medication to surpress milk production had a 42% lower chance of developing the disease than women who neither breastfed nor used medication to surpress lactation.

While, this latest research still doesn’t provide any solid proof for the cause of breast cancer, it does raise some interesting questions about the link between breastfeeding and breast cancer.

Source