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Does breast-feeding help protect against cancer?
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10-11-99 Boston. Breast-feeding may not reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer after all, according to a recent study from the Boston University School of Medicine. Researchers compared the lactation histories of 446 women with breast carcinoma with those of 1,471 women admitted to hospitals with conditions unrelated to breast cancer, said Patricia Coogan, ScD, lead author of the study and assistant professor of epidemiology at Boston University. All study participants were South African women. The study, published in the Sept. 15 issue of the journal Cancer, found no connection between breast cancer risk and the number of children breast-fed, the length of time mothers breast-fed, or the mother's age at first lactation. "I had hoped that there would be a link," Coogan said. "It's always nice to find something that would prevent cancer." Still, other studies point to a reduced risk of breast cancer, due to a drop in estrogen levels, in women who breast-feed, said Carol Huotari, manager of the Center for Breast Feeding at La Leche League International. Huotari added that breast-feeding provides other health benefits for both the baby and the mother. "Essential fatty acids in breast milk aid in the baby's brain and retinal development. There is also a reduction in the rate of ear infections, upper and lower respiratory disease, and diarrhea," she said. Breast-feeding also reduces the mother's risk of osteoporosis, Huotari said.
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