Breastfeeding may protect at-risk women from cancer

Women with a family history of breast cancer may have a new weapon against the disease: breast-feeding. In a new study of more than 60,000 women, nursing a baby for at least three months cut the risk of breast cancer in half for those who had a family history of the disease.

For women with at least one close relative with breast cancer, nursing cut breast cancer risk by 59 percent.

The researchers say that breast-feeding could be the equivalent of taking the drug tamoxifen for five years, which is a well-known way to cut breast cancer risk in women with a family history of the disease.

“For women at high risk right now, the things we have to offer are tamoxifen, prophylactic mastectomy — that’s about it,” says Alison M. Stuebe, M.D., of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, who conducted the research while at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. “This study is really good news for women with a family history of breast cancer who are looking to reduce their risk.” The study was published Monday in Archives of Internal Medicine.

I’ve been aware for some time that 75% of a person’s immune system is in their gut.  A healthy person likely has a healthy balance of bacteria in their intestines.  So it doesn’t suprise me to learn that breast-fed babies have a healthier gut.  After reading an article like this, why would anyone NOT want to breastfeed their baby?  Breastmilk is the best baby food there is!

Breastfeeding newborns, like the evolutionary process of vaginal birth, is about bacteria. The breast milk of a human mother, like other mammalian mothers, is species-specific, having been adapted over eons to deliver specific and sufficient nutrition to guarantee proper growth, health, and immunity development. Researchers have long known that breastfed babies possess an intestinal flora that is measurably different than formula-fed infants. Of specific interest is a group of bacteria known as bifidobacterium. Some of you may immediately recognize the name, as they are often added to dairy-based foods such as yogurt, often advertised as “live cultures” on the packaging. These are probiotics.

Studies have shown that at one month of age, both breastfed and formula-fed infants possess bifidobacterium, but population densities in bottle-fed infants is one-tenth that of breastfed infants. The presence of a healthy and robust population of bifidobacterium throughout the first year or two of life contributes significantly to the child’s resistance to infection and overall development of defense systems—not to mention the physical development of the intestinal system in general. Aside from the substances secreted by these specific bacteria that are known to inhibit the growth of pathogenic bacteria, they also work to make the intestinal environment of the infant more acidic, creating an additional barrier against invading pathogens. In short, breastfed babies are sick less, are less fussy, have fewer and shorter duration of bouts of diarrhea, and have more frequent—and softer—bowel movements.

— Jeff D. Leach
Excerpted from “C-sections, Breastfeeding and Bugs for Your Baby: What the doctor probably won’t tell you,” Midwifery Today, Issue 79

www.spinningbabies.com – A good resource for pregnant moms, especially regarding the baby positioning
www.midwiferytoday.com - This website is a midwifery magazine where I have often found answers to questions
www.oasisadvancedwellness.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=142 – Here are some fun facts about breastfeeding
www.rebeccaglover.com.au/ – Rebecca Glover is a breastfeeding expert. She explains how to make sure your baby gets a good latch when starting to breastfeed.
birthwithoutboundaries.com/about/ - More resources Here
www.savehomebirth.com/Tools.html - Still more resources
www.gentlebirths.net/ - This website belongs to my dear friend Carol, who is a midwife of over 25 years. Lots of good resources here.
www.blogs.mercola.com – This is not a pregnancy website but Dr. Mercola’s health blog has a lot of invaluable information.