A hidden immune shield protects women from breast cancer
Archive photo / dzen.ru
An international team of scientists has discovered a surprising phenomenon: breastfeeding not only provides the child with nutrition, but also offers the mother long-term immune protection against breast cancer. A study published in the American journal Nature revealed the mechanism behind this protection, which can last for decades.
A recent study has shown that the secret lies in special immune cells that become active during pregnancy and breastfeeding. Scientists, led by Professor Shereen Lowe of the Peter MacCollom Cancer Centre, discovered a unique type of CD8+ T cell in the breast tissue of women who have given birth. These cells remain in the mother's body for more than 30 years after birth, monitoring potentially dangerous cells and destroying them before they develop into cancer.
The experiments included 260 women, and the analysis showed that women who breastfed had a higher number of these protective cells. Experiments on mice also showed that breastfeeding females developed tumors more slowly, and when the T cells were removed, this protective effect disappeared. Protection was particularly evident against triple-negative breast cancer, one of the most aggressive types of cancer.
Although scientists have confirmed that the effect of breastfeeding is significant and scientifically proven, they have emphasized that it is not an absolute guarantee against cancer, as results vary from one woman to another depending on multiple individual factors.
