LONG-TERM BREASTFEEDING CUTS MOM'S ODDS OF BREAST CANCER

Not only is breastfeeding good for infants, its healthy for mom too, say researchers. Specifically, breastfeeding for two or more years reduces a woman's risk of developing breast cancer by 50 percent, according to a study conducted in China by Yale University scientist, Tongzhang Zheng.

A total of 404 female breast cancer cases were compared with an equal number of cancer-free control subjects. The analysis included detailed information on menstrual and reproductive factors, number of children breastfed, mean duration for each child breastfed, lifetime duration of breastfeeding and age at first breastfeeding.

Findings showed a 50 percent reduction in breast cancer risk among those women who breastfed for more than 24 months per child, compared to women who breastfed their children for less than 12 months.

"Based on the data from the National Cancer Institute, the average duration of lactation prior to supplementation was about 14 weeks in the United States," noted Zheng.

American Journal of Epidemiology ­ December 2000;152:1129-35. http://www.aje.oupjournals.org/

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