Is This The Latest Breastfeeding Benefit? Breastfed Babies May Less Chance Of Developing Childhood Leukaemia

We all know that there is multiple benefits to breastfeeding and experts say it gives babies the best possible start in life. But now it seems like there’s yet another bonus to breastfeeding a child.  

According to a new study, breastfed babies could have a lower risk of developing childhood leukaemia – the most common cancer among children, which accounts for about 30 per cent of all childhood cancers.

Researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel gathered data from 18 different global studies to come to their conclusion. They discovered that one reason for breastfeeding warding off leukaemia could be due to the transfer of chemicals from mum to baby that helps boost the child’s immue system.

“Because the primary goal of public health is prevention of morbidity, health care professionals should be taught the potential health benefits of breastfeeding and given tools to assist mothers with breastfeeding, whether themselves or with referrals to others who can help,” say the scientists, who published their research in the journal JAMA Pediatrics.

“The many potential preventive health benefits of breastfeeding should also be communicated openly to the general public, not only to mothers, so breastfeeding can be more socially accepted and facilitated.”

Dr Colin Michie, from the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health welcomed the findings, saying, “The benefits of breastfeeding to populations of children are well established. Breastfed babies are less likely to contract chest and ear infections, suffer from sickness and diarrhea or become obese. This latest development is not only a very important discovery, but further adds weight to the benefits of breastfeeding.”

But other health experst aren’t convinced by this revelation. “We do not want mothers who are unable to or choose not to breastfeed to worry as a result of this research,” says professor Chris Bunce, of Leukaemia & Lymphoma Research.

“Childhood leukaemia is thankfully very rare and evidence for the protective benefits of breastfeeding is not as clear-cut as suggested by this latest study. Although this research represents a comprehensive analysis of many different studies, it can still only tell us about associations rather than proven causes, which may be complicated by other background factors.”

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