Breastfeeding is the best way to feed your baby. That is about it —hardly seems worth finishing this article once you know that. Still, perhaps a bit of detail would help.
Our starting point are recent reports that show women who breastfeed reduce their risk of breast cancer. Detailed studies analysing data from 30 countries have been released recently stating that a woman’s risk of breast cancer declines by 7% with each birth, and an additional 4.5% for each year that she breastfeeds.
Admittedly, for an individual woman this translates into rather modest reductions in the risk. But looking at the bigger picture from the perspective of public health, it can be significant. Specifically, if women in developed countries breastfed their infants an extra six months, about 25,000 cases of breast cancer would be prevented each year.
Why women in developed countries? It turns out that the relatively high cancer rates in these countries can be associated with their lower rates of birth and shorter periods of breastfeeding. In less developed countries, women tend to have more children and then will breastfeed for a much longer period. This correlation is reinforced as we examine the climbing rate of breast cancer in developing countries. Here, rates of cancer have begun to rise as family size decreases, along with breastfeeding duration. For example, in China, the “one-child” restriction has been accompanied by such a rise.
Leaving aside the clear benefit of a lower risk for cancer, there are myriad other reasons for breastfeeding your infant. Studies confirm that it helps protect against infections (e.g. acute diarrheal disease, respiratory infections, haemophilus influenza) and protects against illnesses. With breastfeeding, infants have improved immunologic development, better dental health, and even a lower chance of diabetes. Where else can you get those kinds of benefits?
For mothers, the advantages also add up. Lower rates of osteoporosis are an excellent example, but maybe the most important benefits relate to the relationship of a woman and her child. Women who breastfeed show less anxiety than those who bottle feed their infants. And the financial benefit of producing your baby’s food instead of buying formula are certainly advantageous, and can accumulate rapidly.
One implication for these findings revolves around the fact that many women in North America return to work quite soon after giving birth thus giving up breastfeeding by necessity. As more reasons build around the advantages of breastfeeding — adding cancer fighting to the list of benefits is a big plus — perhaps there can be a new understanding in government and business that would encourage breastfeeding.
Despite all the health and psychological advantages of breastfeeding, perhaps the best reason to do it is to experience the wonder and joy of watching a happy, healthy child grow up, knowing that you have given him or her the very best you could give.
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