Breastfeeding Reduces Mother's Diabetes Risk
Recently reported research indicates that, among its many other benefits, breastfeeding reduces the mother's risk of type 2 diabetes later in life. The longer the duration of breastfeeding, the lower the incidence of diabetes, according to a study published in the November 23 issue of JAMA.
A group of researchers from Harvard Medical School and Brigham and Women's Hospital, both in Boston, studied 83,585 mothers in the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and 73,418 mothers in the Nurses' Health Study II (NHS II). An analysis of those who had given birth within the previous 15 years revealed that each year of breastfeeding reduced the mother's risk of diabetes by 15%, when body mass index (BMI) and other factors were controlled.
“Lactation may reduce risk of type 2 diabetes in young and middle-aged women by improving glucose homeostasis,” researchers conclude.
