Breast cancer risk cut by breast feeding

Apr 29 2008

A World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) survey has revealed that three out of four women are unaware that breast feeding can protect a woman from breast cancer.

While it has always been thought to be beneficial to both mother and baby, a review of almost 100 scientific studies by the American Institute for Cancer Research has found significant evidence that breast feeding lowers the risk of breast cancer.

However most women appear to be unaware of the benefit and two thirds are also unaware that being breast fed also cuts a child's risk of being overweight, which is a major risk factor for cancer.

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women, with about 45,000 cases diagnosed in Britain each year and another 13,000 in Australia.

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One in every 11 women will be affected and it seems odd that so many women appear to be oblivious to the protection from breast cancer breast feeding can offer.

The WCRF says this is a real concern when the evidence on this is convincing and indicates that many new mothers are making choices about whether to breast feed without knowing it can help reduce cancer risk for them and their child.

They recommend that mothers should aim to breast feed exclusively for the first six months and then continue with complementary feeding after that.

The WCRF is calling for more education on the benefits of breast feeding to ensure that women are fully informed before making a decision about whether or not to breast feed.

The review found that, while the reason for the protective effect was unclear, breast feeding lowers the mother's risk of breast cancer by 4.3 per cent for every year of feeding.