Breastfeeding protects childhood cancer survivors--study

According to researchers, cancer survivors who nurse their babies are at a significantly lower risk for cancer recurrence, cardiovascular problems, reproductive disorders, metabolic syndrome, and increased bone mineral density.

Although, 80 of children treated with conventional cancer therapies now survive, many experience long-term negative health issues as an aftermath of the disease and the cancer treatment.

Co-author of the study, James Klosky, a psychologist from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, stated, “Breast-feeding may be one more of those behavioral interventions like not smoking, eating a healthy diet and exercising that we can offer to childhood cancer survivors to reduce their later health complications.”

Review of earlier studies
In a bid to assess the health benefits from breastfeeding for women who survived a childhood cancer, the researchers conducted a review of previous studies.

The focus of the study was mainly on bone mineral density deficits, metabolic syndrome which can cause obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular disease and the danger of developing additional cancers, especially breast cancer.

“Breast-feeding may be one more of those behavioral interventions like not smoking, eating a healthy diet and exercising that we can offer to childhood cancer survivors to reduce their later health complications.”—Co-author of the study, James Klosky, a psychologist at St. Jude

Findings of the study
According to experts, the toxic effect of chemotherapy and radiation is known to elevate the risk of breast cancer by nearly 25 percent in female cancer survivors by the time they become adults.

However, it was noted that women who nurture their infant with mother’s milk for six to 24 months cut their risk of malignancy in the breast tissue by 11 to 25 percent compared with those who don't breastfeed.

According to the review, cancer survivors of lymphocytic leukemia, testicular cancer and those who had bone marrow transplantations are more inclined to developing metabolic problems, such as obesity.

However, the studies indicate that breast-feeding helps melt post-pregnancy belly fat, which in turn reduces the incidence of obesity.

In addition, it was noted that nursing also increases a women’s insulin sensitivity and cuts the risk of diabetes and risk factors for cardiovascular problems such as high cholesterol.

Klosky stated, "In the big picture, the benefits of breast-feeding demonstrated in the healthy population should not only be generalizable to women who survived childhood cancer, but in some ways may even ameliorate some potential late side effects that they experience, because it just so happens that breast-feeding can improve those systems affected by cancer treatments.”

The review appears in the 'Journal of Cancer Survivorship.'