Women who breast feed their babies even for short periods of time may lower their risk of developing premenopausal breast cancer if they have a family history of the disease.

When they studied 60,000 women who had breast-fed, U.S. researchers found a 59 percent lower risk of premenopausal breast cancer among women with a family history of the disease. The risk reduction was only seen in women who had breast-fed and who had a mother or sister who had been diagnosed with the disease.

Researchers suggest the lower risk is linked to milk being taken out of the breast tissue after pregnancy which may help stop molecular damage in the breast tissue. They say the discovery is exciting because breast feeding is an action women can take to reduce their breast cancer risk unlike other non-modifiable risk factors such as having a family history of the disease.