Breast-Feeding May Lower Breast Cancer Risk

Yahoo! News:

MONDAY, Aug. 10 (HealthDay News) -- Women who breast-feed their babies even for short periods of time may lower their risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer if they have a family history of the disease.

"We saw a 59 percent lower risk of breast cancer among women with a family history who had ever breast-fed," stated Dr. Alison Stuebe, lead author of a study appearing in the Aug. 10/24 issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. "It is surprising to see this really strong association with a pretty decreased risk."

Read the whole story: Yahoo! News

Comments

[mamacat]

Some research along these lines, showing a reduction in the incidence of breast cancer, was available at least as early as the 1960s. However, while I do not want to sound negative in regards to the positive aspects of breast feeding, not all the news about this is positive.
Questions have been raised among researchers about the potential for the toxins that we are exposed to in our daily lives to be concentrated in the mother's milk (which might also be a contributing factor to the rise in the incidence of breast cancers). We have known for a long time that a cow's milk will be contaminated if the cow is exposed to such things as anti-bacterial agents and radiation, so why should a mother's milk be any different?
I have not seen any studies on the matter, but I wonder if it might be a good idea for a new mother to "flush" some of her milk through her breasts, before using it to nourish her baby, to help eliminate accumulated toxins? Alternatively, perhaps a mother could have her milk tested, if she suspects she has recently been exposed to any contaminants.

[mamacat]

Some clarification: the first time I read that neither human nor any animal milk was safe for babies was during the period of heavy H-bomb testing during the 1950s and 1960s. Tests were done at that time to measure the amount of strontium-90 in the milk that was being fed to infants. At that time, it was determined that much of the world's supply of milk was unsafe for babies. Fortuneately, Strontium-90 has a short half-life, and most of it is now out of the food chain.
What I am trying to say is that while under normal circumstances human milk is the perfect food for human babies, there are times when properly made formula may be better.

[aliceautumn]

So before formula was invented no one every got breast cancer?

[QueenCeleste]

Not new news; this has been known for decades.

[PoppaBlog]

I have heard this before, hope it's true!

[abbyrose86]

sorry for the typos in my previous post!

[abbyrose86]

First this is OLD news. My OB/GYN told me this back in 1991 when I was having my second child after my mother died from breast cancer in 1989. ( BTW, my OB/GYN wasn't American, he studies abroad.) He vehemently suggested I nurse my child due to my family history. I followed his advice and I must say, she definitely got my antibodies, she's rarely gets a cold or flu bug. She was diagnosed with epilepsy BUT that was the result of an injury. My first child who I didn't nurse, was always getting sick, still does and he's 20.

Second, if you really think about this, it makes sense. The primary purpose of a woman's breast is to feed the babies. Thus if we don't use them correctly and for what they should be used for, it would stand to reason there might be problems. Also, the drugs used to dry up breast milk, are probably not the most natural thing to use and the other methods are equally unnatural. Nursing is natural. It is how it is supposed to be. I

OF course, there will ALWAYS be exceptions. There are always are, the human body is complex and there are various carcinogens in our environment as well as other factors at play that can influence disease BUT I would think it is best to err on the side of caution and do what is natural and most beneficial for the child and mother.

[chroma601]

I wish this had been true for my wife. She breastfed both of our kids, and three years ago was diagnosed with breast cancer. She's still a survivor, though!