Breastfeeding benefit

 

A new meta-analysis suggests that breastfeeding for at least six months may reduce the number of childhood leukaemias by almost a fifth.

The meta-analysis looked at 18 studies involving 10,292 leukaemia cases and 17,517 controls. Compared with no breastfeeding or breastfeeding for less than six months, nursing for at least six months reduced the risk of childhood leukaemia by 19 per cent.

Prenatal risk factors may cause most leukaemia cases diagnosed before one year of age. Moreover, the cancer may have emerged before breastfeeding or affected nursing duration. Nevertheless, in a meta-analysis looking at eight studies that excluded children whose cancer was diagnosed before their first birthday, breastfeeding for more than six months was associated with a 17 per cent reduced risk for childhood leukaemia.

A meta-analysis of 15 studies comparing ‘ever’ and ‘never’ breastfeeding reported an 11 per cent lower risk for childhood leukaemia associated with nursing (although the definition of ‘never’ differed between studies). (JAMA Pediatr 2015; 169(6):e151025)