Researchers have suggested that the simple, inexpensive potential preventive remedy against breast cancer is for women to consume natural yoghurt on a daily basis.
They said one of the causes of breast cancer may be inflammation triggered by harmful bacteria.
Yoghurt contains beneficial lactose fermenting bacteria commonly found in milk, similar to the bacteria or microflora found in the breasts of mothers who have breastfed.
Their paper was published in the journal Medical Hypotheses by Lancaster University medical student Auday Marwaha, Professor Jim Morris from the University Hospitals of Morecambe Bay NHS Trust and Dr Rachael Rigby from Lancaster University’s Faculty of Health and Medicine.
Dr Rigby said, “We now know that breast milk is not sterile and that lactation alters the microflora of the breast.
“Lactose fermenting bacteria are commonly found in milk and are likely to occupy the breast ducts of women during lactation and for an unknown period after lactation.”
The researchers’ suggestion is that this lactose fermenting bacteria in the breast is protective because each year of breast feeding reduces the risk of breast cancer by 4.3%.
There are approximately 10 billion bacterial cells in the human body and while most are harmless, some bacteria create toxins which trigger inflammation in the body.
They conclude that, the stem which divides to replenish the lining of the breast ducts are influenced by the microflora, and certain components of the microflora have been shown in other organs, such as the colon and stomach, to increase the risk of cancer development.
“Therefore a similar scenario is likely to be occurring in the breast, whereby resident microflora impact on stem cell division and influence cancer risk.”
