Breastfeeding is good for both mother and baby.
Breastfeed your baby if you are able. Breastfeeding offers numerous health benefits for the baby and mother. Evidence strongly suggests breastfeeding can help protect mothers by lowering risk for breast cancer. Studies show that breastfed babies may be less likely to develop overweight and obesity when they grow into adulthood.
The World Health Organization and UNICEF recommend mothers should exclusively breastfeed their babies for the first 6 months of life, if possible. After that, age-appropriate solid and liquid foods can be added to the baby’s diet to supplement breastfeeding.
In addition to being the most basic and natural way to nourish a baby, breastfeeding drops the levels of some cancer-related hormones in a mother’s body, lowering her risk for developing breast cancer.
Equally important, studies show that breast milk contains the nutrients babies require for healthy development. Breastfeeding also helps protect babies from infection and disease.
Furthermore, research also suggests that babies who breastfeed may be less likely to develop overweight or obesity when they grow into adulthood.
Rely on mother nature for feeding your baby.
- Immune System Boost
Breastfeeding provides short and long-term benefits for the baby — it protects the development of the immature immune system and protects against infections during infancy.
- Lower Risk of Diseases
Beastfeeding benefits continue into childhood and adulthood with lower risks of asthma and type 2 diabetes. Additionally, mothers who breastfeed have a lower risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Lower Risk of Obesity
Children who were breastfed as babies also have lower risk for having overweight or obesity in adulthood. Children with excess body fat tend to have it in adult life, which increases the risk for many cancers.
Check In With Your Health
The choices we make each day can help reduce our risk of cancer.
AICR's new Cancer Health Check will help you learn more about your
choices and how you can stack the odds in your favor.
