We're always being told that Breast is best, when it comes to feeding babies.

But new research now shows it's also good for mothers - if they can stick with it for long enough.

In Britain, most mothers give up breast feeding when their baby is a few months old.

But, it seems breast cancer rates are much lower in the developing world, where mothers carry on breast feeding children into toddlerhood.

On Breakfast this morning, we looked at the health benefits of breast feeding - and asked why so many women in this country begin breast feeding and end up switching to the bottle

Beral: feed each child for two years

Rates of breastfeeding are lower throughout the Western world than in the developing world, according to Valerie Beral, of Cancer Research UK.

She told Breakfast: "In this country, we tend to breast feed for two to three months.

"To gain protection against breast cancer you need to have seven children and feed each one for two years or so."

But, why are breast feeding rates in Britain so low?

Belinda Phipps, from the National Childbirth Trust, dismisses women's fears that they don't have enough milk.

Learning to breast feed is a skill, she maintains - and, like any other skill, it needs confidence to put it into practise.

What's needed, she said, is to change the entire bottle-feeding culture in this country.

click here to watch our breast feeding discussion in full

We also talked to two mums who have breast fed successfully. One is still feeding her child, who's just under two years old.

Patricia: still enjoys breast feeding her daughter

Patricia Morgan explained that it was important to have a quiet time with her toddler: anything between 10 minutes and half an our together when they could just "chill out".

Her friend Sally Hardman felt it was easier for mums to breast feed in the London area.

It's acceptable in her local cafes, where it might be disapproved of in other parts of the country.

click here to see our mums and babies interview in full