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New mother breastfeeding
newborn infant (Image source: linkouture.com)
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Babies who were
breastfed for at least six months had a 19pc lower risk of going on to develop
leukaemia in childhood than those who were breastfed for a shorter period or
not at all, research found.
Scientists said they made the findings after reviewing
18 different studies, while a separate analysis of 15 studies found that ever
being breastfed compared with never being breastfed was associated with an 11pc
lower risk of childhood leukaemia.
The researchers, at the University of Haifa in Israel,
suggested more should be done to educate women on the health benefits of
breastfeeding, while there should also be efforts to make it easier for women
to do it in public.
Leukaemia is the most common cancer in childhood, but
little is known about its cause.
deprivation
Breastfeeding is recommended by Britain's NHS as the
healthiest option for feeding babies up to the age of six months.
The number of women who breastfeed in the UK is
increasing, according to the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
(RCPCH), with 55pc now breastfeeding at six weeks and 34pc at six months, but
younger mothers and those living in areas of higher deprivation are the least
likely to breastfeed.
The
study authors suggest several biological mechanisms of breast milk may explain
their results, including that it contains many immunologically active
components and anti-inflammatory defence mechanisms that influence the
development of an infant's immune system.
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