We all know the health benefit of breastfeeding for babies by now and it’s pretty well known that it also lowers the chances of breast cancer for mom. A new study of nearly 140,000 women found more health benefits for moms who breastfeed, though.
Women who have breast-fed, it says, are at lower risk than mothers who have not for developing high blood pressure, diabetes and cardiovascular disease decades later, when they are in menopause. The benefits increase with duration of past breast-feeding, the study found.
Women who had breast-fed for more than a year in their lifetimes were almost 10 percent less likely than those who had never breast-fed to have had a heart attack or a stroke in their postmenopausal years. They were also less likely to have diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol.
The study found that there were health benefits for women who breastfed for as little as a month.
Women who reported 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 entered the study.
Experts are still weighing in about what causes the differences. Whatever the reason, it’s good to know.
Next time someone gives you grief for "still" nursing your little one you can say you’re improving your health. Or a steely glare works too. Whichever you like! 😉
Amen!
Thanks for posting this! Breastfeeding is great in so many ways. My kids have breastfed until around 2.5 years of age–never thought I’d do that, but then it just happened so naturally.
Rebecca