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Vitamin B3, Breastfeeding Can Reduce Cancer Risks

BOSTON (CBS) – Vitamin B3 can be found in foods like meat, fish, eggs, and green vegetables and one form is used to treat high cholesterol.

Now another form of Vitamin B3 may be beneficial for people at high risk for skin cancer.

Australian researchers looked at nearly 400 people who had at least two non-melanoma skin cancers.  They found patients who took Vitamin B3 cut their chances of developing new skin cancers by 23%.

Sunlight can damage the DNA in skin cells. Researchers say Vitamin B3 can give cells an energy boost, helping them repair the damage.

Research also shows that breastfeeding can reduce a woman's future chances of getting breast cancer.

And now a new study finds that if a woman does develop breast cancer, she is less likely to get a recurrence if she has breastfed in the past by up to 37% if she has breastfed for more than six months.

Breastfeeding can cause changes in the breast cells which may help explain this effect.

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