Breast feeding ‘cuts cancer risk in mothers’
Reported September 29, 2008
Whether they breastfeed two babies for six months each or one baby for a year, women can cut their risk of developing the disease significantly, said Dr Rachel Thompson, science programme manager for the World Cancer Research Fund.
Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, with 45,000 cases diagnosed in Britain each year.
The protective effects of breastfeeding over a long period of time have been well documented.
Studies have shown mothers who breastfeed past a child’s second birthday are half as likely to develop the disease as those who stop at 12 months.
However, a recent survey for the WCRF found that three out of four women were unaware that breastfeeding could cut their risk of developing the disease.
Speaking at the start of breast cancer awareness month, Dr Thompson urged mothers to breastfeed for as long as they could. She said brestfeeding for a year could reduce the risk of developing breast cancer by 4.8 per cent
“We want to get across the message that breast-feeding is something positive that women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer,” she said.
“Because the evidence that breast-feeding reduces breast cancer risk is convincing, we recommend women should breast-feed exclusively for six months and then continue with complementary feeding after that.”
She added: “Reducing your breast cancer risk by about five per cent might not sound like a big difference but the longer you breastfeed for, the more you will reduce your risk. So if a woman breastfeeds two or more children for at least six months each over her lifetime, it is clear she can make a significant impact on their cancer risk, not to mention all the other benefits of breast-feeding.”
Doctors say that breast-feeding cuts the risk of cancer by lowering the levels of some cancer-related hormones in the mother’s body.
Breastfeeding is also thought to help develop a baby’s immune system, protecting against infections and allergies and reducing the risk of illnesses such as asthma and eczema, as well as diabetes and obesity.
However, despite the benefits, 40 per cent of women who start breastfeeding stop before their baby is six weeks old.
Doctors writing in the British Medical Journal this month said that the NHS was not doing enough to encourage women to breatfeed their babies.
They called for a new “national strategy” to promote the practice among new mothers, including extra training for doctors and other health professionals.
Dr Lesley Walker, the director of information at Cancer Research UK, said a range of factors increased a woman’s risk of breast cancer.
“We know that the major things that affect a woman’s risk of breast cancer include how early and how many children she has, how early she starts her periods and how late the menopause begins, and whether or not she chooses to breastfeed,” she said.
“Being overweight after the menopause can also increase breast cancer risk.”
