Breast Cancer

Below is a selection of studies exploring the impact of breastfeeding on breast cancer risk. For more details on this, see our maternal health meta-analyses research section.

The fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015

This study explored the fraction of cancer cases attributable to modifiable risk factors in the UK, finding that nearly four in ten (37.7%) cancer cases in 2015 in the UK were attributable to known risk factors. Researchers identified not breastfeeding as one such risk factor; amongst women, not breastfeeding was attributed to 2,582 cancer cases in 2015.

Brown, K, et al, (2018). The fraction of cancer attributable to modifiable risk factors in England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and the United Kingdom in 2015, British Journal of Cancer, doi:10.1038/s41416-018-0029-6.

Older research 

• World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) International’s Continuous Update Project

Lambertini, M, et al (2016). Reproductive behaviors and risk of developing breast cancer according to tumor subtype: A systematic review and meta-analysis of epidemiological studies, Cancer Treatment Reviews, doi: 10.1016/j.ctrv.2016.07.006

• Breastfeeding associated with reduced mortality in women with breast cancer

Lööf-Johanson, M (2016). Breastfeeding Associated with Reduced Mortality in Women with Breast Cancer, Breastfeeding Medicine, doi:10.1089/bfm.2015.0094