(Schwarz, Eleanor et al. University of Pittsburgh. Quoted by the New York Times April 22, 2009)
A study from the University of Pittsburgh looked at the health history of 139,681 women and concluded that the longer women nursed their babies, the lower their risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and heart disease. While mothers who nursed only one month had lower blood pressure and diabetes, those who nursed at least one year had significantly lower rates of cardiovascular disease as well.
The research, which is to be published in the May issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology, analyzed data on the women who had enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative, a long-term national study of postmenopausal women.
Women who reported a lifetime history of more than a year of breast-feeding were 20 percent less likely to have diabetes, 12 percent less likely to have hypertension, 19 percent less likely to have high cholesterol and 9 percent less likely to have had a heart attack or a stroke by the time they enrolled in the Women’s Health Initiative.
The association between breast feeding and better maternal health shouldn’t be surprising when we realize that women who breast feed are more likely to take better care of themselves than those who don’t. And we have known for some time that breastfeeding helps prevent breast cancer and lowers obesity. Breastfeeding stimulates the lymph glands and may lead to general detoxification of the body and the hormone oxytocin may well lead to more flexible blood vessels. Whether it is the act of breast feeding itself or the general tendency to observe better diet and exercise among nursing women, the benefits to both mother and child are clear. The U.S. Surgeon General recommends that babies be breast fed for at least 6 months since the benefits for the baby are significant.
With this new information, women should be better motivated to breast feed and to continue nursing for longer periods of time.
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