As the nation celebrated October as Breast Cancer Awareness Month, members of the U.S. Lactation Consultant Association reported evidence that many cases of breast cancer can be prevented.
According to a news release distributed by the association, the National Cancer Institute cited two health behaviors that may reduce the risk of breast cancer - exercise and breastfeeding.
The Susan G. Komen Foundation notes that breastfeeding appears to lower the risk of both estrogen receptor-positive and estrogen receptor-negative tumors with the strongest protection in premenopausal breast cancers.
A study published by the American Association for Cancer Research, concluded that breastfeeding may reduce the incidence of a particularly aggressive form of cancer found predominantly in black women in the U.S.
Women who give birth to more than one child but do not breastfeed are at increased risk of developing this particular type of cancer. However, the link disappears when women who give birth to multiple children breastfeed. The data suggest that black women may have a higher incidence of this aggressive form of cancer because they tend to have more children and are less likely to breastfeed.
International board-certified lactation consultants can help mothers meet their own breastfeeding goals, decreasing their risk of breast cancer as well as ovarian cancer, and blanketing their infants with protection from many communicable and chronic diseases.
Such consultants provide prenatal education and timely assistance in hospitals, health clinics and WIC agencies.
For information about becoming a consultant or to locate one in your area, contact USLCA at www.uslca.org.
