Breastfeeding may reduce hypertension risk: Researchers

Seoul: Women who breastfeed more children, and for longer periods of time, are less likely to suffer from hypertension after they reach menopause, a study suggests. The study published in the American Journal of Hypertension found that the relation is less pronounced among obese women. Elevated blood pressure is the greatest single risk factor for disease and mortality, researchers said. The study population comprised 3,119 non- smoking postmenopausal women aged 50 years or older in the 2010- 2011 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. More children breastfed and longer duration of breastfeeding were associated with lower risk of hypertension in postmenopausal women. “Our findings endorse the current recommendations for breastfeeding for the benefit of maternal health in mothers’ later lives,” said Nam- Kyong Choi from Ewha Womans University South Korea. The degree of obesity and insulin resistance moderated the breastfeedinghypertension association, researchers said. In particular, the highest quintile of number of children breastfed ( 5 to 11) showed a 51 per cent lower risk of hypertension compared with the lowest quintile ( 0 to 1). The highest quintile of duration of breastfeeding ( 96 to 324 months) showed a 45 per cent lower risk of hypertension. Evidence from epidemiologic data has also shown the beneficial effects of breastfeeding on the health of infants and their mothers, researchers said.