Children who are breast-fed as infants have a lower risk of developing childhood leukemia, a new study suggests.
Leukemia is one of the leading killers of children and adolescents. Scientists have long suspected that breast-feeding might have a protective effect against the blood cancer because breast milk contains many antibodies and immune-strengthening compounds.
In the new study, published in JAMA Pediatrics, scientists found that children who were breast-fed for at least six months had a 19 percent lower risk of the disease compared with those who were not breast-fed at all or were breast-fed for shorter periods of time.
The research showed only an association, not a cause and effect, and more research is needed to confirm the link and explain the biological mechanisms involved. The study was based on data from 18 studies that involved about 28,000 children, including roughly 10,000 who went on to develop leukemia.
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that mothers exclusively breast-feed their children for at least six months, saying it lowers the risk of infections, allergies and sudden infant death syndrome, among other things.
“There is so much research supporting the health benefits of breast milk,” said the lead author of the new study, Efrat L.
Amitay, of the University of Haifa School of Public Health in Israel. “It contains antibodies, natural killer cells and all kinds of active, live substances that can’t be produced in a factory.”