1. ¹Division of Public Health Biology and Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
2. ²Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94143, USA
3. ³Department of Pediatrics, Section of Hematology/Oncology, University of California, Davis, Sacramento, CA 95817, USA

Correspondence: Dr ML Kwan, University of California, Berkeley, 2150 Shattuck Ave., Suite 500, Berkeley, CA 94720-7380, USA. E-mail: kwan@berkeley.edu

Received 27 April 2005; Revised 6 June 2005; Accepted 13 June 2005; Published online 19 July 2005.

Abstract

The risk of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL) was investigated in relation to breastfeeding patterns in the Northern California Childhood Leukaemia Study. Data collected by self-administered and in-person questionnaires from biological mothers of leukaemia cases (age 0–14 years) in the period 1995–2002 were matched to birth certificate controls on date of birth, sex, Hispanic ethnic status, and maternal race. Ever compared to never breastfeeding was not associated with risk of ALL at ages 1–14 years (odds ratio=0.99; 95% CI=0.64–1.55) and ages 2–5 years (OR=1.49; 95% CI=0.83–2.65). Various measures of breastfeeding duration compared to absence of breastfeeding also had no significant effect on risk. Complimentary feeding characteristics such as type of milk/formula used and age started eating solid foods among breastfed children were not associated with ALL risk. This study provides no evidence that breastfeeding affects the occurrence of childhood ALL.