Breast Feeding May Lower Childhood Leukemia Risk

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The evidence continues to mount on the positive effects of breast feeding.  From preventing allergies to reducing obesity chances, there are many studies that demonstrate the benefits of breast feeding.  New research published in the journal JAMA Pediatrics now suggests that breast feeding also lowers the risk of childhood leukemia.

This latest study hails from the University of Haifa in Israel and found that breast feeding for six months or more was linked with a 19 percent lower risk of childhood leukemia compared to children who were breast fed for a shorter period of time, or those who were never breast fed at all.

The research study was led by Dr. Eftrat Amitay, an epidemiologist and researcher at the School of Public Health at the University of Haifa.  Amitay and his team reviewed the evidence from 18 major studies comparing breast feeding and childhood cancer rates from North America, Europe, New Zealand, Turkey, South Eastern Arabia and China.

Leukemia is the most common form of cancer in children and teens, accounting for almost one third of all cancers in the age groups.  According to Amitay, the incidence rate is growing by about 0.9 percent each year and is still a leading cause of death from cancer among children, but little is known about what causes the disease.

Amitay said that the data showed several biological elements of breast milk that may explain the lower risk association, like anti-inflammatory defense mechanisms and components that strengthen the immune system.

"Maternal antibodies, lactoferrin that can destroy microbes and reduce inflammatory response and Human α-lactalbumin (HAMLET) that kill tumor cells and breast-milk stem cells that have properties similar to embryonic stem cells and may provide active immunity in the infant's body," Amitay says.

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the World Health Organization currently recommend breast feeding exclusively for the first six months of life.  Amitay said that she supports these guidelines, but thinks more education about breast feeding and the many benefits needs to be done.

"Breast-feeding is a low-cost, highly-accessible public health measure to potentially lower the risk for a serious disease," Amitay says. "I hope policy makers will act more to promote and encourage breast-feeding by educating health professionals on how to assist mothers with breast-feeding, by disseminating the information on the benefits of breast-feeding and by making it more socially acceptable."

As far as breast feeding's effect on other, similar diseases, Amitay said some studies have shown that there is a lower risk of childhood lymphoma, although the results were less significant.  However, she also emphasized that breast feeding has already been shown to lower the risk of other major health issues including celiac disease, diabetes, respiratory tract and gastrointestinal infections, SIDS and obesity.  The health benefits extend to the mother as well as it has been shown to lower the mother's risk for breast, endometrial and ovarian cancers.

"I think more research is needed exploring the properties of breast milk that may be associated with lower risk for leukemia, as they may have implication not only for the prevention of childhood leukemia but also for prevention and treatment of other types of cancer."