January 25th, 2022
Breastfeeding Protects The Heart
By Brian W. Donnelly, M.D., F.A.B.M.
AHN Pediatrics — Pediatric Alliance Northland
A study published this month in the Journal of the American Heart Association found that breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk for maternal cardiovascular disease (CVD).
The Austrian researchers combed the literature for studies that measured risk for stroke and coronary heart disease events in relation to the presence of breastfeeding. A progressive risk reduction of all CVD outcomes was found, with duration of breastfeeding from 0-to-12 months. This means breastfeeding was protective in a dose-dependent way (i.e., the longer the mother breastfed, the greater was the protection she enjoyed).
Previous studies have demonstrated that prolonged breastfeeding is linked to a lower maternal risk for breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and type 2 diabetes mellitus. This study adds to what we know about prolonged breastfeeding and the subsequent health benefits for the mother.
Some reasons for the connection of that association are that breastfeeding women have more weight loss postpartum than women who don’t breastfeed. Breastfeeding also helps improve maternal blood sugar and cholesterol metabolism. And the hormone oxytocin, released into the mother’s bloodstream during breastfeeding, is associated with lower blood pressure, lower fat mass, and reduced risk of diabetes mellitus.
The World Health Organization recommends that mothers breastfeed their babies exclusively for the first 6 months of life and then continue to breastfeed for up to 2 years and beyond along with complementary foods. A meta-analysis using data from countries from all over the world reported that only 37% of children under 6 months of age are exclusively breastfed in low-income and middle-income countries. Further, the prevalence of any breastfeeding at 12 months was less than 20% in most high-income countries.
For mom’s sake, we can do better.
