Breastfeeding protects against breast cancer (especially premenopausal breast cancer). Breastfeeding appears to lower the risk of both estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative breast cancers.
In a pooled analysis of data from 47 studies, mothers who breastfed for a lifetime total of one year (combined duration of breastfeeding for all children) were slightly less likely to get breast cancer than those who never breastfed. Mothers who breastfed for a lifetime total of two years got about twice the benefit of those who breastfed for a total of one year. Women who breastfed for a lifetime total of more than two years had even more benefit.
Although data are limited, breastfeeding for less than one year may also modestly lower breast cancer risk.
Other health benefits of breastfeeding
Breastfeeding has other benefits for the mother, including lowering the risk of:
- Type 2 diabetes
- Ovarian cancer
- Postpartum depression
And, breastfeeding has many benefits for the child, including lowering the risk of:
- Middle ear infections
- Asthma and respiratory infections
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS)
- Type 2 (and possibly type 1) diabetes
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