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Women who breastfeed their babies for the recommended six months may lower their risk of developing endometrial cancer.
Endometrial cancer is the fourth most common cancer in women in high-income countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia.
The World Health Organization recommends that women exclusively breastfeed for the first six months, then continue breastfeeding even after beginning to introduce solid foods.
The researchers analyzed pooled data from studies participating in the Epidemiology of Endometrial Cancer Consortium, including 10 from the United States and others from Canada, Europe, China and Australia.
They looked at more than 26,000 women who had ever had a child, whether they breastfed, and for how long. This included about 9,000 women with endometrial cancer.
After accounting for other factors that can influence endometrial cancer risk, including age, race, education, oral contraceptive use, menopausal status, years since last pregnancy and body mass index (BMI), researchers found the apparent protective effect of breastfeeding.
Breastfeeding hindered the growth of endometrial cancer because estrogen hormone is suppressed during breastfeeding.