Unless you live under a rock, you’re more than likely aware just how good breastfeeding is for you and your baby. Breastfeeding means your baby is sick less often, is less likely to develop type 1 diabetes, celiac disease, and Crohn’s disease later on in life. Breastfeeding lowers Sudden Infant Death Syndrome rates and promotes maternal health too. As a breastfeeding mother, you’ll lose your baby weight faster and heal more quickly after delivery.

            But that’s not even the half of it. With cancer rates rising in the general population breastfeeding might be just what we need. The question is: does Breastfeeding reduce the risk of mom getting cancer? Yep. And it may protect your baby too.

Breastfeeding and Breast Cancer

The history of breast cancer is an interesting one. From strange theories of “black bile” to mastectomies being performed before the invention of anesthesia, breast cancer was a terrifying illness. These days, breast cancer continues to be serious but with treatment beginning at early prevention. One way to prevent breast cancer is through breastfeeding, and we have nuns to thank for that.

In the 14^th century, breast cancer was known as nun’s disease because these holy women seemed to contract the illness more readily. Since these pious women were also abstinent in exchange for devoting their lives to God, they weren’t having children and they weren’t breastfeeding.

Physicians of the day noted this, finding that women who were “nulliparous,” or without children were far more likely to come down with the disease than women of the same age who’d given birth.

Today, some physicians question whether or not nuns, or abstinent women in general, should be taking birth control. Some theories suggest the hormones in this medication, while not being used to prevent conception, may reduce a woman’s risk of breast cancer nearly as well.

Okay, so nuns weren’t breastfeeding or having babies and thus were contracting breast cancer more readily. Just how does breastfeeding work to protect women from developing breast cancer?

There’s about four large studies which prove that breastfeeding works to prevent breast cancer. Some of these studies show that not only are breast cancer chances cut by nearly 60% in women who breastfeed, but it seems like breastfeeding helps protect against the most aggressive types!

There are a few theories regarding just why breastfeeding stops breast cancer, but it may have something to do with the fact that women who breastfeed have fewer periods and less exposure to estrogen. Estrogen has been shown in some circumstances to promote certain types of breast cancers. Another theory involves the plasticity of cells, or rather, the ability of breast cells to learn how to resist mutations rather than become cancerous later on down the line.

Are There Other Factors?

It’s hard to say whether or not breastfeeding alone is what causes this preventative factor against cancer. It could have something to do with lifestyle changes instead. Women who breastfeed are likely to eat healthier than before they were pregnant and cut out alcohol and tobacco use. Obesity is also a known risk factor for cancers of all kinds, and breastfeeding also helps women burn calories and keep from weight gain.

Does Breastfeeding Protect from Ovarian Cancer Too?

Possibly related, ovarian cancer risks are reduced by up to 2/3rds in women who breastfeed. Women who breastfed a total of 31 months in their lifetime could cut their ovarian cancer risk up to 91%! The mechanism of this action is likely closely related to the reasons behind the reduction of breast cancer risk. Less exposure to estrogen overtime.

 Getting the Most Out of Breastfeeding

A large study with over 150,000 women performed by The Lancet proved that longevity is key to decreasing a woman’s breast cancer risk over time. Even more interesting, at the end of a woman’s breastfeeding experience, her body gets rid of many cells found within the breast and many of those have had mutations, meaning they could put the woman at risk for developing breast cancer in the future.

When it comes to reducing your breast cancer risk, the rule of thumb is to breastfeed as long as possible, avoid cigarette smoking, which in some studies seemed to counteract the benefits of nursing as cancer prevention, and limit exposure to estrogen. Studies are still in the works regarding breastfeeding and cancer. It’s likely that eventually, we’ll continue to say that breast is best for more and more reasons!