New research has gone a long way towards proving the theory that breastfeeding substantially reduces a mother's risk of breast cancer.
Women who breastfeed for a year are almost 5 per cent less likely to develop the disease than those who don't breastfeed at all.
The researchers said that although the reduction may seem small, breastfeeding for longer would cut the risk even more.
Breast cancer is The UK's most common cancer, affecting more than 45,000 women a year and claiming more than 1,000 lives a month.
The World Cancer Research Fund showed that breastfeeding for a year cut the odds of developing the disease by 4.8 per cent. The year did not have to be continuous, with breastfeeding two babies for six months each having the same effect. And the more months of breastfeeding a woman achieved during her lifetime, the lower her chances of developing breast cancer.
Breastfeeding lowers the levels of some cancer-related hormones in the mother's blood and, at the end of breastfeeding, the body rids itself of damaged breast cells that could turn cancerous in the future. Breastfeeding could also cut the baby's chances of cancer in later life by reducing his or her odds of obesity.
Excess weight is known to raise the risk of a variety of cancers, including bowel cancer and some types of breast cancer.
Despite the benefits, just one in four women is aware of the protection offered by breastfeeding..
A spokeswoman for the charity said: 'We want to get across the message that breastfeeding is something positive that women can do to reduce their risk of breast cancer. Because the evidence that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk is convincing, we recommend that women should breastfeed exclusively for six months and then continue with complementary feeding after that. Reducing your risk by around 5 per cent might not seem like a big difference but the longer you breastfeed for, the more you will be reducing your risk.'
Breastfeeding's-other health benefits for mothers are thought to include lowering the risk of ovarian cancer and cutting the risk of heart attacks by almost a quarter. Breast milk also boosts the baby's health, protecting them from tummy bugs, asthma, chest infections, asthma and allergies. Despite this, the UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with just two-thirds of new mothers attempting it.
September 2008
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