Introduction
Mother’s milk has the right nutrient value for a child's growth and development. The current lifestyle changes have brought various changes in this age-old tradition. However, breastfeeding provides care and growth to the child and protects the mother from the increased risk of breast cancer in the future. The estrogen hormone in the female body triggers the risk of cancer, which is reduced during lactation time.
Can Breastfeeding Reduce the Risk of Cancer?
Certainly, breastfeeding has a greater role in reducing the risk of cancer. The estrogen levels are lowered during pregnancy, and less exposure to estrogen levels decreases the chances of breast cancer. Elevated levels of estrogen can help in the proliferation of cancer cells. Breastfeeding not only protects the mother from the future surge of breast cancer but also protects the child. Breast milk also contains ingredients that can protect the child from getting the most common childhood leukemia, known as acute leukemoid leukemia (ALL).
Women who breastfeed their children have a reduced risk of heart attacks, asthma, allergies, rheumatoid arthritis, common auto-immune disease, and a lesser risk of cancer. Breastfeeding is one of the preventive measures against the ongoing surges of cancer. Every lactating mother should breastfeed their child for at least six months. The mortality rate of breast cancer patients is high among other forms of cancer and is one of the widely seen cancers. If women cannot produce enough breast milk, other methods for initiating breast milk should be practiced at the earliest.
What Is Estrogen and Its Role in the Female Body?
Estrogen is a female sex hormone. A pair of ovaries produce it. This hormone is also produced in the male body but in minimal amounts. During pregnancy, a female produces estrogen from the placenta. Estrogen is also produced by adrenal glands, which are present above the kidneys, breast tissue, and by fat cells. In addition, the follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) present in the anterior pituitary gland causes the follicles in the ovaries to develop. These developed follicles produce theca cells and granulosa cells, which produce estrogen in the bloodstream. The levels of estrogen vary up and down depending on the hormone production. One key factor regulating estrogen levels is the brain and ovary stimulus for estrogen production.
What Are the Functions of Estrogen?
Once reaching its target cell, the estrogen binds its nucleus to change its behavior. This unique function is responsible for changes in biological function in the body. Estrogen causes the growth and development of female sex organs, especially the ovaries. It also enhances the growth of smooth muscles of the female reproductive tract. It helps develop breast tissue during puberty by adding more fat cells. It helps in the body's fat distribution, like in the thighs.
Estrogen also regulates the cholesterol level in the body. Cholesterol is a lipid component present in the cells. It has a key role in the cell mechanism. This cholesterol is carried throughout the body with the help of a hormone called high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The presence of proteins in these hormones determines their benefits. The protein content in HDL is high, with very little cholesterol, and hence is known as good cholesterol. However, in low-density lipoprotein (LDL), the amount of protein is less, and cholesterol is high, making it bad cholesterol. Increased LDL levels have serious implications for the body, like causing a heart attack and stroke.
Therefore, estrogen production reduces the risk of bad cholesterol (LDL) and increases the production of good cholesterol (HDL). Women who have crossed the menopause age above 50 years have reduced estrogen levels causing the LDL level to increase. This puts women after menopause age under a high risk of cholesterol. Estrogen is also good in increasing a good skeletal system. Women getting older are at higher risk of osteoporosis due to this decreased estrogen production.
How Does Estrogen Affect Breast Cancer?
The estrogen circulating in the blood binds to the nucleus and activates the genes. The genes bind the protein and promote cell division. The receptor gene responsible for breast cancer is HER2/neu. Sometimes these cell divisions occur as a result of mutations outside the initiation of estrogen. When estrogen is in the blood, it commands certain cells to divide. In mutant cells, such division occurs outside the stimulus of estrogen. This action can initiate the development of cancer. Most breast cancer cells are estrogen-dependent initially and later on divide independently in the absence of estrogen. The mutation receptors are always activated in cancer cells. Hence, abnormal replication of cells occurs even in the absence of estrogen hormones.
What Are the Risk Factors Which Can Cause Breast Cancer?
There are many factors that can trigger breast cancer conditions, such as:
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Use of contraceptive pills.
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Hormone replacement therapy for over a period of ten years.
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Infertile women who do not have any children increase the risk of breast cancer.
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Late child after the age of 30.
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Early menstruation and late menopause.
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Estrogen is blocked from reaching the cancer cells.
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Increased fat content in the diet.
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Increased use of alcohol can lead to a decreased level of estrogen.
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Increased birth weight.
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Smoking.
What Are the Associated Symptoms of Breast Cancer?
There are many known and unknown causes of breast cancer. Here are a few of the symptoms of breast cancer:
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Family history.
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Discharge from the nipples (blood or white fluid).
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Palpable mass.
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Breast pain.
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Change in the shape of breast upon lifting of hands.
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Inverted nipples.
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Change in color.
Conclusion
Studies have pointed out various health benefits of breastfeeding other than the growth and development of the child. Breastfeeding has reduced the surge of aggressive forms of cancer known as triple-negative breast cancer. The prevalence of breast cancer also varies depending on the geographical area. The rate of breast cancer is high among the white and African-American populations. The action of breastfeeding can reduce about 60 percent of breast cancer. Breastfeeding is a natural process and should not be overlooked as an act of shame. Health practitioners should educate their pregnant women about the importance of breastfeeding.
