Breastfeeding may lower leukaemia risk in children

Mothers who breastfeed their babies may offer them protection against childhood leukaemia (cancer of the red blood cells).

A new study - published in the current issue of JAMA Paediatrics journal - found that children breastfed for six months or longer had a lower risk (19  per cent) of developing the disease compared with those who never breastfed or did  so for a shorter time.

The authors of the study, titled ‘‘Breastfeeding and Childhood Leukaemia Incidence: A Meta-analysis and Systematic Review,’’ note that breast milk contains many active components that boost immunity and prevents inflammation of body cells, minimising the risk of leukaemia in breastfed children.

“Because the primary goal of public health is prevention, healthcare professionals should be taught about the potential benefits of breastfeeding and given the tools to assist mothers with breastfeeding,” notes the researchers from the University of Haifa in Israel.

The findings of this study add to the body of previously published research papers that have documented the significance of breast milk to young children.

This has since consequently led to the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommending that mothers exclusively breastfeed their children for six months, then gradually complement the milk with other foods up to two years of age and beyond.

“We have included this in our national guidelines and are encouraging mothers to do so as it will improve the health of their children,” notes Terry Wafwafwa, head of Nutrition at the Ministry of Health (MoH).

Recent statistics from the Kenya Demographic and Health Survey (KDHS 2014) show that 61 per cent of Kenyan children are exclusively breastfed (receiving no other food for the first six months of life).

This is an increase from the 32 per cent figure recorded in the previous survey (KDHS 2009). But health experts concur that the rates should be way above 90 per cent.

Ms Wafwafwa states that breast milk contains the right amount of key vitamins and minerals essential for intellectual development.

Without them, some damages done to the brain before a child reaches two years of age would remain irreversible.

“So we will have children with below average intelligent levels yet we need them to promote our economic development.”

Studies have also shown that breastfeeding guards against malnutrition which is an underlying contributor (30 per cent) to all major childhood killers such as pneumonia, diarrhoea and malaria.

If optimal breastfeeding was enhanced, WHO estimates that close to one million children lives could be saved each year in Africa.

During breastfeeding, a mother continually passes antibodies to the child. The colostrum (a thick yellowish substance produced immediately after birth) is especially rich in those antibodies.

The milk therefore protects the newborns against deadly disease-causing organisms such as rotavirus and pnemococcus bacteria which cause severe diarrhoea and pneumonia respectively.

Breastfed babies also have a reduced risk of contracting juvenile diabetes, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and cancer before the age of 15.

In the past, HIV positive mothers shied away from breastfeeding for fear of infecting their children. However, a WHO 2009 study conducted in Malawi showed that the risk of transmission reduced to just about two per cent for infants given the antiretroviral drug Nevirapine daily while breastfeeding exclusively for six months.

Another study by a team of researchers from the US-based Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Centre discovered that breast milk contains a protein known as Adiponectin that could prevent obesity, type 2 diabetes and coronary heart disease in adulthood.

For mothers, breastfeeding minimises their chances of developing ovarian and breast cancers. This is because it stalls the production of oestrogen hormones that are linked to the two cancers.

Despite these benefits, it is often challenging for the modern career woman to breastfeed frequently due to work pressures. They can address this hurdle by expressing the breast milk and leaving it for the baby during their absence.

The milk can stay fresh at room temperature for up to eight hours. And in case the mother plans to be away for long, storing the milk under refrigeration in special bags can preserve it for about two weeks.

Organisations are also encouraged to reserve suitable hygienic rooms that mothers can use to express milk while at work.

There are also several myths about breastfeeding such as breast milk is insufficient for the child and especially twins.

This is not true since the milk alone is enough food for the baby during the first six months. And the more a mother breastfeeds, the more milk is produced. She also needs to be stress free and psychologically prepared to be successful. From the seventh month onwards, mothers can now begin complementing the milk with other foods.

Others also believe that breast milk makes the baby thirsty. Research has debunked this myth and shown that it provides sufficient water to the child during the six months following delivery.

Yet still, other mothers perceive formula as being better than breast milk. But breast milk is always the best for the baby. Whereas formula is bought, breast milk is produced for free. It contains all essential child nutrients and has antibodies that protect the child from deadly diseases. Indeed, Unicef estimates that formula-fed children in least developed countries are more likely to die of diarrhoea and pneumonia than their breastfed counterparts. Breast milk is also easily digested.

It todays modern society, it is also believed that breastfeeding makes the mother fat. On the contrary, it reduces the ‘fat stores’ accumulated during pregnancy and enables the mother to shed off the excess weight.

Similarly, that breastfeeding makes the breasts fall and sag is also a widely held view in the modern society. But these are changes that gradually take effect as women grow older, irrespective of whether they breastfed or not.

Some women also think that overeating increases the production of breast milk. But experts disagree and advice that the mother should just eat what is enough. The mentality of ‘’eating for two” is misguided.

Another myth holds that if a man suckles a woman’s breast, she should discontinue breastfeeding until special herbs are used to clean the breast, or the child will die. (This is a belief in most African societies). However, it has been proven that nothing will happen to the baby, so the mother should not stop breastfeeding.

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