Mothers who breast-feed know they are giving their children the best possible start in life, but may not realize the health benefits for themselves. October is celebrated as National Breast Cancer awareness month, letting mothers know what they can do to help prevent this invasive cancer. As well as helping mothers lose any excess baby weight more quickly, breast-feeding can help reduce the risk of breast cancer.
According to the experts at the American Institute for Cancer Research, breast-feeding can lower a woman's risk of getting both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer. The protection is thought to be associated with hormonal changes that occur during lactation that delay menstrual periods. This reduces exposure to hormones like estrogen, which has been linked to breast cancer risk. Certain changes to DNA can cause normal breast cells to become cancer. Breast-feeding helps with the shedding of some tissue during lactation, which helps eliminate cells with possible DNA damage. There are risk factors for breast cancer that you cannot change such as age, gender or family history. Risk factors that can be changed include lack of exercise, alcohol use, being overweight or obese, and not breast-feeding.
According to a study that followed women over a long period of time, women who breast-fed were 25 percent less likely to develop pre-menopausal breast cancer than women who never breast-fed. Breast-feeding is even more beneficial for women with a history of breast cancer in the family. Women with a mother, sister or other close family history of breast cancer who have ever breast-fed reduce their risk of getting pre-menopausal breast cancer by nearly 60 percent.
Breast-feeding is looked at as an exciting discovery in breast cancer reduction because it is something women can do to help reduce their risk. All moms want to provide what's best for their baby, but thinking about their own health for not only reducing breast cancer risk, but osteoporosis, ovarian cancer, high blood pressure and heart disease by breast-feeding is beneficial as well. Family, employer and health care provider support and encouragement are needed for pregnant and nursing mothers to help reduce breast cancer and other diseases.