LONG-TERM HEALTH
LOWERS DIABETES RISK
A pivotal 2009 study done by the Women’s Health Initiative in the US shows that breastfeeding reduces a woman’s risk of diabetes by around 20 percent. Sister Grove says this is backed up by new research stating that the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of type 2 diabetes. Breastfeeding is particularly important if you had gestational diabetes, she adds, as you have a higher chance of developing diabetes later on.
PROTECTS AGAINST OSTEOPOROSIS
This may seem contradictory. After all, how can breastfeeding possibly help protect you from developing osteoporosis when it takes lots of calcium (important to maintain strong bones) to produce breast milk? ”While you may use plenty of calcium to produce breast milk, your body copes very well at restoring those stores of calcium,” Louise explains. In fact, new studies have shown that not only does your body’s store of calcium replenish itself after breastfeeding, in many cases it increases. And because calcium increases bone density, your protection against osteoporosis is increased at the same time.
LOWERS RISK OF HEART ATTACKS, STROKES AND HEART DISEASES
A 2009 study by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh in the US shows that the risk of women who breastfeed for heart attack, stroke and heart disease
is lower. While breastfeeding for just one month can lower these risks, the study shows that ”it wasn’t until after six months of breastfeeding that the trend toward lower risk became statistically significant”. In other words, you need to breastfeed your baby for at least sixmonthstohaveagoodchanceof reducing your risk of a heart attack, stroke and heart diseases this way.
REDUCES RISK OF CANCERS
Numerous studies have proven that women who breastfeed reduce their risk of oestrogen-driven cancers: ovarian and breast cancer. As with the heart-related diseases, the longer you breastfeed, the more likely you are to reduce your risk of these two cancers. For breast cancer, nursing your baby for at least one full year is reported to have the most protective effect.
It’s not entirely clear how breastfeeding helps reduce the ovarian and breast-cancer risks, but researchers believe it has do with the structural changes in breast tissue caused by breastfeeding and the fact that lactation suppresses the amount of oestrogen your body produces. Sister Grove says new research shows it may even be better for women who don’t breastfeed to stop their milk flow medically: ”A study shows that those women who take medicine to suppress lactation have a lower risk of breast cancer compared to those who never breastfeed. Researchers suspect that becoming engorged and not expressing could increase chances of breast cancer.”
So you see, not only is breastfeeding the best thing you can do for your baby – it’s a great thing to do for yourself too. ●