Breastfeeding benefits women, lowers diabetes risk

 Breastfeeding is known to be good for babies, but a new study has found that it also provides significant benefits for women. Feeding breast milk to a newborn lowers a woman’s risk of developing diabetes, said researchers at the University of Pittsburgh.

Even a month of breast feeding can prove to be advantageous for women in the long run.

The new study supports previous findings, which suggested that Type II diabetes is less commonly found in women, who breastfeed their children.

Type II diabetes results after the body cells lose their sensitivity to insulin. The disease is often related to obesity.

Details of the study

The research, led by Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, assistant professor of Medicine at the University of Pittsburgh Medical School, revealed that women who never breastfed were twice as likely to develop Type II diabetes mellitus than those who do.

The study involved more than 2,200 women aged 40 to 78, who were questioned about their lactation history, or lack thereof.

Researchers found that 27 percent of mothers, who did not feed breast-milk to their children, developed type 2 diabetes. The rate was almost double as compared to women who breast-fed or never gave birth.

The difference in diabetes developing rate of breast-feeding and non-breast-feeding groups remained even after statistics for factors such as age, race, levels of physical activity and body-mass index.

Researchers encourage breastfeeding

“Diet and exercise are widely known to impact the risk of type 2 diabetes, but few people realize that breast-feeding also reduces mothers' risk of developing the disease later in life by decreasing maternal belly fat,” said Dr. Schwarz, in a news release from the university.

Despite being highly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, only 14 percent of American mothers opt to exclusively breastfeed their infants during their first six months, said the study authors.

“Our study provides another good reason to encourage women to breast-feed their infants, at least for the infant's first month of life,” Schwarz said.

“Clinicians need to consider women's pregnancy and lactation history when advising women about their risk for developing type II diabetes.”

The possible explanation for breast-feeding cutting the risk of diabetes is that the practice helps women lose weight, but that is not the only reason.

Breastfeeding helps women shed visceral fat, which is the worst kind of body fat that they collect during pregnancy. Lactation also helps improve glucose metabolism, thus countering diabetes.

Only 14 pct U.S. mothers breastfeed

However, not many U.S. mothers choose to breastfeed their babies.

Despite being highly recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics, only 14 percent of American mothers opt to exclusively breastfeed their infants during their first six months, said the study authors.

The study, published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine, was funded by the U.S. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and the National Institute of Child Health and Development.

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