channel 4 breastfeeding programme

[lazycow]

Just thought people might be interested if you don't already know.

Channel 4 on Weds 1 Feb. A programme called Extraordinary Breastfeeding is on. The write up in the magazine I'm looking at says:

"You'll be texting your friends about this as soon as it starts. It's about the phenomenon of mothers who breastfeed their kiddies well beyond the age considered 'normal' in this country. Seeing a feisty mum breastfeed her two-year-old twin isn't that disturbing, but the sequence of another lady suckling her 7 year old dughter isn't one we will forget in a hurry. "

I'm looking forward to seeing the tone it takes.

There are over 100 papers in Pubmed dealing with the protective effects of breastfeeding on incidence of breast cancer. There are not so many on ovarian cancer, but it's been well established for a long time that anything that prevents rounds of ovulation is likely to protect against ovarian cancer, so breastfeeding helps in this respect. I'm not aware of any beneficial effect on cervical cancer- I would have thought it would be less relevant because of the viral connection. I'm surprised that it's not a question on the ovarian cancer study though, but maybe they're not trying to be comprehensive? It's certainly something you get asked at breast clinics.

Tamum - are you saying that the fewer ovulations you have the less likely you are to develop breast cancer?

Sorry, didn't see your post GDG- the protective effect of breastfeeding in terms of breast cancer is much more at the level of it protecting the mother rather than the infant- did they not ask you about your own pregnancies and feeding experience? It seems odd that they wouldn't include that, doesn't it?

Sorry, ovarian cancer?

It's mine turn now! Breasfeeding

No, it didn't ask Tamum. It asked about my pregnancies but not about how I was fed - hang on, just checking as I still haven't sent it off

am I too late?
has it kicked off at all?

Whoops, missed that one- yes, there's a theory that ovulation sets up a kind of cycle of damage and repair that gets corrupted to cause cancer, and that theory came about because there is a lot of evidence that fewer ovulation cycles has a protective effect. The pill is thought to be protective in the same way.

So in theory, if you start your periods later and/or menopause early then that's protective too?

Can't find questionnaire - hmm, did I send it?? Eek! Definitely did my blood samples! ANyway, I'm pretty sure it didnt' ask how I fed - just asked about length of pg, any complications, weight of babies.

it's interesting reading but there are some quite small studies in there 300+ on hip fractures?! plus a few 'might' and 'may' comments.

How about doing our own study here on mn
you, you dp and your kids - say whether breast/bottle any health problems they have, are you/they overweight, are they fick or the brain of Britain

might be interesting as long as we all tell the truth?

Aargh, this is all getting out of sequence. That was a reply about ovarian cancer. The survey should (I would have thought) asked about your pregnancies and how you fed the babies. I know that sounds judgemental, it really isn't meant to, I just expected them to take known factors into account.

Yes, early menopause, late starting periods are all protective factors for ovarian cancer, at least the premenopausal sort.

I'd be interested in that Jools as we seem to defy science! Especially as you were breastfed but I'm the brain of Britain

That's interesting Tamum - didn't know that. Good news for Jools! I started periods at about 14.5 so good for me too!

Has any one said the immortal line "healthy bottle fed babies are the exception that proves the rule" yet?

No no GDG, I think you'll find that's me. And I'm beeyootiful.

I didn't get asked at the breast clinic!

I'm on the ARTISTIC study trying to find a connection between the HPV virus and cervical cancer and I'm on the UKCTOCS

neither of which asked a breastfeeding/fed related question

Oi! you're not too big for a clip round the ear'ole

oops! can't do that can I?

Btw, I've got a bloomin cold. That's your fault with your nasty SMA you gave me.

eh? Are you two mum and daughter?? (put me down for formula fed and fick as two short ones)

GDG - I thoughthe point about the breast/ovarioan cancer benefits were whether you breast fed - not about whether you were breast fed as a kid.

But if you weren't asked about whether or not you breast fed your kids, it does seem a strange ommission.

And on the basis of completeness, in case there is a correlation (and how do you know if you don't look for it), you're right, perhaps you should have been asked if you were breast fed as a child.

I remember at my maternity hospital, which had been involved in some research, they said that the professor involed had been suprised at the strength of the correlltion with ENT problems (or rather lack of, in breast fed kids) as they hadn't expected that (so can't have been trying find it) and that they assumed that it must be something to with the slightly different sucking movement breast feeding babies use.

Can't find reference ot that study in these papers - and it is over 5 years since ds was born, so I can't remember any more details in order to do a search.

Heard a radio prog last year - There was a famous study done hundreds of years ago - will try to find it ... on nuns in Italy. It was found they had much higher rates of breast cancer... due to not breastfeeding. Indeed it is 'unnatural' to have a large amount of periods - one reason I don't like the pill because of the withdrawal bleeding. I;ve hardly had any periods at all in the past 7 years due to pregnancy and breastfeeding. This seems to make your body happier to put it a bit crudely. Someone on the prog said that most women pre-pill went from baby to baby throughout most of their reproductive lives and hardly had any periods. She even suggested that seeing as we have much fewer children these days it would be better for us to breastfeed these children for longer to get the same protective effect.

Sorry I can't provide a reference but you get the general gist.... not necesarily the reason why I've done it so long but shows that its not 'barmy' to do it for a long time and may even be good for you.

That's right - I'm pretty sure it didn't ask because I remember looking out for it, but I can't find it - must have sent it off.

That's interesting - I did have tonsils, adenoids out and grommets so was quite 'ENTy' as a child but I think that was more down to narrow passages really - brothers not the same but fed the same and I think tonsils and adenoids is just really common anyway. Anyhow, not discounting what you said, just rambling!

Wow - that's interesting Eulalia. Bizarre too when you think periods are natural and really you don't have any control over them - apart from being pg and breastfeeding of course!

OK, so from my own perspective, I didn't breastfeed for very long but I started my periods late (about 14.5), had 3 children (27 months pg) and, well, don't know about menopause yet but mothers was early (before 40). Odds in my favour I think - phew!

Breastfeeding could slash breast cancer risk
09:40 19 July 2002
NewScientist.com news service
Danny Penman

Western women could reduce their breast cancer risk by nearly 60 per cent if they returned to pre-industrial levels of fertility and breastfeeding. The new findings help explain why breast cancer, virtually unknown 200 years ago, is now a major killer.

Having an average of six children and breastfeeding them for two years would reduce the incidence of breast cancer to third world levels according to Cancer Research UK.

"Clearly this is not a realistic option for the modern woman," says Valerie Beral, of the Cancer Research UK Epidemiology Unit in Oxford, who led the research. "But even if women in the West were to breastfeed each of their children for an extra six months this could prevent five per cent of breast cancers each year."*

An intimate link between fertility and breast cancer has been suspected for many years. Early epidemiologists noted the high levels of the disease in nuns compared to the general population. The breast cancer rate in nineteenth century nuns was 6.3 per cent - exactly the same level faced by modern British women. But the link between fertility and breast cancer was discounted in the 1970s.

Conclusive proof
Now, a new study by Cancer Research UK pooling data from 47 studies - involving over 150,000 women in 30 countries - has conclusively proved the link.

A third of the women studied had breast cancer and factors considered included number of children, duration of breastfeeding, socio-economic class and level of education.

Returning to pre-industrial levels of fertility and breastfeeding would slash the current UK rate of breast cancer from 6.3 per cent to 2.7 per cent, the researchers estimate. For each child a woman has, her risk of the disease declines by 7.0 per cent. On top of this, for every year that she breast feeds, her risk declines by 4.3 per cent.

Cancer Research UK also hopes that the new study will lead to the development of new therapies to prevent the disease.

Sir Paul Nurse, interim chief executive of Cancer Research UK says: "Clearly it's not rocket science to assume that there's a hormonal effect. Extending our knowledge of the disease is likely to bring further advances in the clinic, as well as suggesting strategies for prevention."

Journal reference: The Lancet (vol 360, 187)

That kind of information is the sort of stuff that should be in a western society's pro-breastfeeding programme, not formula-bashing. Not sure about the six kids bit though!