Breast Cancer Prevention Through Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding Protects Both Mother and Child from Cancer
The World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research recently published a report entitled, "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer". One of the recommendations to prevent cancer is for women to breastfeed and children to be breastfed.
Thus, the panel of experts responsible for the report recommends a life-long approach to cancer prevention, beginning with the future mother's health before she even becomes pregnant and how the infant is nourished after birth.
Protection From Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer among women. According to the report, the evidence is convincing that breastfeeding protects women from developing breast cancer, both before and after menopause. What's more, protection against cancer increases the longer the woman breastfeeds.
How does breastfeeding protect against breast cancer? One possible explanation is that lactation results in a period of infertility and amenorrhea when the woman does not menstruate. This indicates a hormone shift, which tends to be protective against cancer.
Another way that breastfeeding may protect women against breast cancer is through the strong shedding of breast tissue and epithelial cells during lactation. This may help the body get rid of cells whose DNA may become or are already damaged.
Protection From Weight-Related Cancers
The study also credits breastfeeding for helping reduce the risk against cancers that are associated with overweight, obesity and weight gain. These include cancers in the esophagus, pancreas, colorectum, breast (postmenopause), and kidney.
Evidence shows that sustained breastfeeding protects children from overweight and obesity, both in childhood and until adult life.
"Exclusively breastfed children show different growth patterns from those of formula-fed infants," the study notes.
Formula-fed infants consume more protein and sugar than breastfed infants. This may stimulate the development of fat cells in the formula-fed infants. Overweight children tend to grow up into overweight adults, who have increased their risk for certain cancers.
Other Ways to Prevent Cancer
In conclusion, the report gives 10 recommendations to prevent cancer:
- Be as lean as possible within the normal range of body weight.
- Be physically active as part of everyday life.
- Limit consumption of energy-dense foods. Avoid sugary drinks.
- Eat mostly foods of plant origin.
- Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat.
- Limit alcoholic drinks.
- Limit consumption of salt. Avoid moldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes).
- Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone.
- Mothers to breastfeed; children to be breastfed.
- Cancer survivors: Follow the recommendations for cancer.
Mothers who are still thinking of how to feed their infants should consider their family's risk for cancer. If cancer runs in your family, seriously consider breastfeeding to protect both yourself and your child. If you choose to formula feed, remember that doing so may increase your and your child's risk for cancer.
To benefit from breastfeeding, a mother should breastfeed exclusively for six months. Afterwards, she should continue breastfeeding along with complementary feeding, for two years or even longer. The benefits of breastfeeding increase with longer breastfeeding.
Read the full report, "Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer".
