Breastfeeding for six months can delay onset of breast cancer by ten years

A new study done in Spain shows that increases in oestregen levels from breastfeeding and pregnancy protect women against breast cancer. Breastfeeding is thought to be so protective against breast cancer, that it can delay the onset of the disease by 10 years.

Reseachers from the University of Granada in Spain observed that non-smoking women who breastfed their baby for at least six months, were diagnosed on average at the age of 68.4, 'more than a decade later than both non-smokers who had not breastfed or done so for less then three months who were diagnosed on average at 58 years, and non-smokers who had breastfed for between three and six months (57 years)'.  The study which was published in the Journal of Clinical Nursing, included 504 female breast cancer patients aged 19 to 91.

Breastfeeding is thought to reduce a woman's risk of breast cancer by 4.3% for each year she does so. Emilio González-Jiminéz of the University of Granada who led the research is quoted as saying;

"Breastfeeding for periods of over six months not only provides children with numerous health benefits, but also protects the mother from serious diseases such as breast cancer,"

The female smokers who breastfed during the study received no benefit in terms of when they were diagnosed with the disease, regardless of how long they fed their child naturally.

These findings confirm the results of other studies that show that both breastfeeding and pregnancy help protect women against breast cancer by reducing oestrogen levels.