Breastfeeding Promotion Is Breast Cancer Prevention

Or...Why don't they EVER mention this?

Every October of every year I have been involved in lactation care, I have grumbled to someone about how all the media time given to breast cancer awareness leaves out breastfeeding. I always think, someone should really get loud about this - it’s important.

Ok, well, I think it’s going to be me. I haven’t talked to anyone about it, so if someone else is about to get loud, good, I can’t wait to hear you! Let’s do this.

I spent hours researching, and I’m not done. I’ve got a list of talking points, plus ideas about how I can connect this message with new people.

Here’s where we can start: there are only a few well-studied strategies for breast cancer prevention, and breastfeeding IS one of them. Avoiding smoking and alcohol use, maintaining a healthy weight, eating healthy, and being physically active are the others. (Research continues to look at other modifiable factors, and there are some which are not modifiable, such as age and genetics.)

But it’s not just breastfeeding. It’s breastfeeding for a while - longer than 6 months. It’s ensuring that breastfeeding concludes with gradual, not abrupt, weaning - that’s one key component I’ve learned in my recent reading. Gradual weaning after at least 6 months of breastfeeding facilitates acute remodeling of mammary glands, while abrupt weaning prior to 6 months results in changes to the mammary glands which are closely associated with specific risk factors for breast cancer. (Basree, M.M., Shinde, N., Koivisto, C. et al. Abrupt involution induces inflammation, estrogenic signaling, and hyperplasia linking lack of breastfeeding with increased risk of breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res 21, 80 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s13058-019-1163-7)

And here’s something that may surprise you: the studies which have demonstrated that a history of breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk DID NOT SPECIFY that the population which indicated that they “breastfed” fed their babies from their bodies/breasts, did so exclusively, or fed expressed human milk. Since two of the major mechanisms believed to be implicated in reducing the risk of breast cancer are a)reducing lifetime exposure to estrogen and b)specific molecular changes to breast cells which happen continuously during lactation AND both of those mechanisms are present regardless of how baby is fed (from the body or with expressed milk), it is plausible that this protection/reduction of breast cancer risk applies to everyone who lactates (whether they feed from their body, express their milk, or do a combination of both) for more than 6 months. I think that’s amazing and absolutely critical for us to know, discuss, and teach.

There’s lots more; this is a just a start. I hope you’ll follow me on this journey. I’ll be posting about it on social media, writing more to you, talking about it on my podcast, and more. Like I said, I’m planning to get LOUD about this. Follow the hashtag #BreastfeedingReducesBreastCancerRisk, follow me - especially on IG and Twitter - and get loud with me. We can change the conversation this October and give people hope that they CAN help to prevent breast cancer!

Warmly,

Christine

P.S. This conversation will be triggering for some. After all, if someone gets terrible lactation advice or support, is talked out of breastfeeding, or can’t for medical reasons, and then later learn that breastfeeding reduces breast cancer risk, that’s going to be hard to handle. But we can’t be quiet about this if we want to impact the people who still have that option in front of them. We need to be talking and teaching about this to make it better for the next generation. We can call on those who feel triggered by this knowledge to make things better for the next generation by being the bearers of hope and support. Remind them to encourage the people they know to seek lactation support. Empathize with their lack of support and grief over not having breastfed or lactated. We can do this. It’s going to be a challenge, and we’re ready.

If you get into a tough conversation, feel free to tag me and bring me into it. I’ll do my best to help you.