Breastfeeding cuts ca risk in high-risk women

Breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk among women with a family history of breast cancer, according to a study. Observational studies suggest a relationship between lactation and premenopausal breast cancer risk.

In a prospective cohort study of the Nurses' Health Study II involving 60,075 premenopausal women, researchers found that among women with a first-degree relative with breast cancer, those who breastfed had a covariate-adjusted hazard ratio of 0.41. There was no association among women without a family history of breast cancer (Arch Intern Med 169:1364-1371, 2009).