Breastfeeding for a month cuts mom's diabetes risk

Mothers who don't breastfeed their newborns for at least one month are more likely to develop type 2 diabetes at some point in their lives than women who do, a Pennsylvania study finds.
Previous research demonstrated health benefits to moms who breastfed as long as six months or a year. The Pennsylvania results suggest that even a month of breastfeeding can have positive, lasting effects.
"What we found that was somewhat surprising was the pretty dramatic benefits for moms who breastfed as short as a month after the birth of their child," the lead author, Dr. Eleanor Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh, told.
In type 2 diabetes, the most common form of the disease, either the body does not produce enough insulin or the cells ignore the insulin that the body needs to turn food into energy.
The researchers found that 26.7 percent of the study mothers who did not breastfeed their infants later went on to develop diabetes compared to 18 percent of women who exclusively breastfed their newborn at least one month and 17.5 percent of women who never had children.
The findings "highlight the importance to maternal health of consistent lactation after each birth" and add to the growing body of evidence that not breastfeeding might add to health risks.
"Women who give birth but do not breastfeed face an increased risk of developing type 2 diabetes," the authors conclude.
Why this is so, they point out, is not known. Animal studies have shown that the formation and secretion of milk by the mammary glands (lactation) may itself start biological processes that increase sensitivity to insulin and reduce the formation of belly fat.
"Breastfeeding is part of the normal recovery process" from pregnancy and giving birth, Schwarz said.
The study results tell new mothers that they can do something for their own health by breastfeeding for at least a month, Schwarz said. The authors also have a message for moms who, for whatever reason, never breastfed their children.
The authors urge "ongoing support of breastfeeding" from doctors, legislators and employers.

Source: The American Journal of Medicine