Breastfeeding can dramatically reduce a woman’s risk of contracting breast cancer, according to a new study.
The study, conducted by US researchers at two charities and Washington University, was carried out across almost 37,000 women.
According to the findings, those who breastfed for any length of time were found to be 10 percent less likely to contract the disease.
Additionally, the study found that these participants were also 20 percent less likely to develop one of the worst forms of the illness, known as triple negative, which is notoriously difficult to cure.
Experts in the field believe that breastfeeding lowers the levels of oestrogen, which can trigger cancer.
Speaking after the presentation of the findings at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas, Dr Graham Colditz spoke of the significance of the research.
“Importantly, breastfeeding was clearly protective for triple negative breast cancer – the subset of this disease for which we have limited treatment options,” he said.
Dr Colditz went on to call for “greater public health support” for mums from relevant health authorities.
