"Breastfeeding may reduce diabetes risk"

Yet more positive studies showing the positive health benefits of Breastfeeding for mothers too- it's not just about feeding our babies!! The more we learn about the benefits of Breastfeeding the more we realize that nursing our children is a biological imperative for the health of our young AND our mothers.

Breast is NOT best. Breastfeeding is the NORM. And when society realizes this, then society as a whole will benefit.

Breastfeeding May Reduce Diabetes Risk

Lactation History Linked to Less Metabolic Syndrome

By Salynn Boyles
WebMD Health News

Reviewed by Louise Chang, MD

Dec. 3, 2009 -- There is more evidence that breastfeeding benefits moms as well as their babies.

Breastfeeding was shown to significantly lower a woman’s risk for developing metabolic syndrome in a study reported today by researchers with Kaiser Permanente.

"...

Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of risk factors linked to both diabetes and heart disease, including elevated blood pressure, insulin resistance, and belly fat.

The new study is one of the most rigorously designed trials ever to explore the impact of breastfeeding on such risk factors.

Researchers examined data on 704 women who were followed for two decades, starting before their first pregnancy.

Because the women were enrolled in a larger heart disease risk study, the researchers had information on wide range of health and lifestyle factors. None of the women had metabolic syndrome at enrollment, but 120 developed the condition during the 20 years of follow-up.

In the population as a whole, breastfeeding for longer than nine months was associated with a 56% reduction in risk for developing metabolic syndrome during the follow-up period.

In women who developed gestational diabetes during one or more pregnancies, the risk reduction was 86%..."

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