How does breastfeeding lower your risk of breast cancer?
Breastfeeding is a protective factor for breast cancer. It’s unclear exactly why this is the case. However, a combination of the following factors is likely at work:
Breastfeeding promotes changes in breast cells that may make breast cancer less likely to occur.
The hormonal changes that happen during breastfeeding can delay the return of your period, meaning you’re exposed to less estrogen while breastfeeding. Long-time exposure to estrogen raises breast cancer risk.
It’s more likely that people who are breastfeeding engage in healthy lifestyle choices, such as eating a balanced diet, avoiding alcohol, and not smoking.
Now let’s look at what some of the research on breastfeeding and breast cancer risk has found.
Research into breastfeeding and breast cancer risk
Older research from 2002Trusted Source involving data from 47 studies across 30 countries found that the risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.3% for every 12 months of breastfeeding.
The magnitude of this reduction didn’t vary significantly based off of location, age, ethnicity, or personal factors like the number of births or menopausal status.
Breastfeeding also benefits people at a high risk of breast cancer, such as those with certain genetic changes. Another older study from 2012Trusted Source found that breastfeeding for at least a year was associated with a 32% risk reduction in people with changes in the BRCA1 gene.
It also appears that breastfeeding may reduce the risk of specific types of breast cancer. Some research, including studies from 2015 and 2019Trusted Source, has found that breastfeeding pro
Comments
Post a Comment