Extended Breastfeeding Reduces the Risk of Ovarian Cancer

In a study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, researchers from Curtin University in Australia found that extended breastfeeding significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer in women.

The study examined 493 Chinese women who had been diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The study found that women who breastfed for more than 13 months were 63 percent less likely to develop an ovarian tumor than women who breastfed for less than seven months. In addition, the longer women breastfed, the greater the reduced risk.  Women  who had three children and who breastfed for over 31 months were up to 91 percent less likely to suffer from ovarian cancer than women who breastfed for under 10 months.

Scientists believe that breastfeeding helps prevent ovarian cancer because it can delay ovulation. The more ovulations occur, the greater the risk of cell mutation, which can trigger the disease.

Read the abstract here.