Breastfeeding Benefits Mom’s Health
We have all read about the numerous benefits of breastfeeding to both mother and baby. Well, now there is more great news for moms who choose to breastfeed. Two new studies (Diabetes and Obstetrics and Gynecology journals) show that breastfeeding longer reduces a mother’s risk of diseases such as heart disease, stroke, and diabetes.
The studies involved following 704 women from the time they became pregnant for 20 years. After 20 years, 120 of the women had been diagnosed with metabolic syndrome, which comes with symptoms of high blood pressure, belly fat, insulin resistance, and high cholesterol levels. However, moms who had breastfed for five months or longer had 39%-56% lower odds of receiving this diagnosis than moms who had breastfed for 1 month or less.
What’s more, women who had gestational diabetes during pregnancy had an even lower risk of the diagnosis (44%-86% lower depending on length of breastfeeding) many years after after pregnancy. Breastfeeding for more than 9 months reduced their chances to 1/7 the rate of those who breastfed for only a month.
Erica P. Gunderson, Ph.D., an epidemiologist at Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, CA explains that breastfeeding appears to help normalize blood sugar and fat levels in moms. She suggests considering this and other factors when making the decision of whether or not to breastfeed.
