Breast Feeding Linked to Better Cardiovascular Health?
It has been well established, through countless studies, that breast-feeding is extremely beneficial to an infant’s health. But could breast-feeding actually benefit mother’s health as well? According to a U.S. News article, “Breast-feeding a Boon to Mom’s Heart,” it certainly can. New research suggests breast-feeding may boost women’s cardiovascular health as they age.
The current study spawned from a study conducted over a decade ago that stated women who breast fed for two plus years were 23% less likely to develop heart disease. The study was not clear on the effect of breast-feeding for shorter periods of time and Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, from the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health, felt it was worth exploring these effects due to the increasing trend of decreasing breast-feeding mothers.
The study consisted of 140,000 postmenopausal women of similar diets and body mass indexes. After obtaining information on the women’s breast-feeding history, the women’s health conditions were monitored, through annual medical reviews, over eight years. The results concluded that a significant statistical difference in women’s cardiovascular health appeared in women who breast-fed for six months or more.
Dr. Schwarz said “”We found that the longer women breast-feed, the lower their risk of heart attacks, strokes or heart disease.” Specifically, researchers report that after a year of breast-feeding, the likelihood of having high blood pressure dropped by 12 percent, the likelihood of diabetes decreased by 20 percent, the rates of abnormal cholesterol decreased by 19 percent and the overall risk of heart disease fell by 9 percent, compared to women who never breast-fed.
Dr Schwarz explains why the effects of breast-feeding appear many years after breast feeding by saying, “Breast–feeding resets the body after pregnancy. There are certain hormonal and physiologic changes the body expects to go through after pregnancy and when those changes don’t happen, that leaves certain body systems in a precarious way.” If your body is preparing itself for something, allow it to follow through with it. Breast-feeding allows women to burn an average of 500 additional calories per day as well mobilizing the fat stored that impacts cholesterol and relaxes blood vessels which all contribute to improved cardiovascular health.
Who knew that breast-feeding holds potential benefits for mothers as well as infants? To learn more about heart disease and to get any questions that you may have answered, visit NorthShore Univeristy HealthSystem’s Heart Disease Discussion Board.
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