New mothers can cut their risk of breast cancer by breastfeeding their babies, a leading scientist has found. And the longer they continue, the lower their chances of developing the disease become.
The findings add a new dimension to the evidence already amassed of the benefits of breastfeeding for babies, including healthier immune systems and fewer breathing difficulties.
The research by epidemiolo-gist Sir Richard Doll - who discovered the link between lung cancer and smoking - may now lead doctors to tell mothers that breastfeeding could protect them from the disease. Sir Richard's findings follow a study which compared breast cancer rates among thousands of women and revealed conclusive evidence of a drop in the chances of getting the disease among those who breastfeed.
A woman's average risk of developing the cancer - which currently stands at one in 12 --decreases by four per cent for every year she breastfeeds. Medical specialists do not know why this is but believe that differing hormone levels due to breastfeeding may play a crucial role.
Breastfeeding rates in Britain remain low compared to other countries - and women tend to switch to bottle-feeding after only six weeks, meaning they miss out on the cancer benefits. Only 65 per cent of women in Britain breastfeed, compared with 80 and 90 per cent in Australia and New Zealand.
In Scotland, the breastfeeding rate is among the lowest in Europe, with only 55 per cent of mothers attempting it. Six weeks after giving birth, just 42 per cent of British mothers are still breastfeeding.
Meanwhile, breast cancer rates in the UK have risen alarmingly over the past 20 years. The disease is now more common than lung cancer in women, though death rates from lung cancer remain higher.
Doctors say a trend towards later motherhood may explain some of the rise in such cancer cases, which top 39,500 a year and show no sign of slowing.
Sir Richard's findings, which are to be published early next year, emerged in a report commissioned by the anti-abortion charity LIFE into the possible link between abortion and breast cancer.
Data from 30 countries with a wide range of baby feeding practices were analysed to examine the relationship between breast feeding and breast cancer.
Sir Richard and his team at the Imperial Cancer Research Fund Studies Unit, at the Radcliffe Infirmary in Oxford, discovered that 'the relative risk of breast cancer decreased by 4.1 per cent for every 12 months of breastfeeding'. The study also confirmed earlier reports that women who have children have a lower risk of developing breast cancer, which claims 13,000 lives in Britain every year.
A woman's risk of developing the disease fell by just over 8 percent for every birth.
Last night Dr Richard Sullivan, of the Cancer Research Campaign, said: 'We know breastfeeding is good for babies, but this important piece of research shows just how good it is for women too.' He said the 'most likely' reasons for the fall in the cancer risk were lower levels of the hormones oestrogen and progesterone in the body during breastfeeding. It is also possible that another hormone, oxytocin, which is secreted at the same time, may protect cells from cancer later in life. 'We are not sure of the biological reasons for this but it is most likely that it is a hormonal effect, the hormones oestrogen and progesterone have been linked to tumours, and breastfeeding acts as a natural contraceptive, lowering hormone levels to the extent that a woman's menstrual cycle is halted. Another possibility is the hormone oxytocin, which tells the body to produce more milk during feeding, may somehow have a protective effect.'
Mary Newburn, of the National Childbirth Trust, said: 'This research is very exciting and could help persuade women who are breast-feeding to keep going for longer to benefit their babies and themselves'.
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