Older Women Who Breastfed Their Babies Have Lower
Risk of Heart Attack, Stroke
An average of 35 years had passed since women
enrolled in this study had last breastfed an infant
April 21, 2009 – A new study has found that older
women who breastfed their babies have a lower risk of heart attacks,
strokes and cardiovascular disease. And, the longer the women breastfed,
the lower the risk, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers in
a study published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
According to the study, postmenopausal women who
breastfed for at least one month had lower rates of diabetes, high blood
pressure and high cholesterol, all known to cause heart disease.
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Women who had breastfed their babies for more than
a year were 10 percent less likely to have had a heart attack, stroke,
or developed heart disease than women who had never breastfed.
"Heart disease is the leading cause of death for
women, so it's vitally important for us to know what we can do to
protect ourselves," said Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, M.D., M.S., assistant
professor of medicine, epidemiology, and obstetrics, gynecology and
reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh.
"We have known for years that breastfeeding is
important for babies' health; we now know that it is important for
mothers' health as well."
Dr. Schwarz and colleagues found that the benefits
from breastfeeding were long-term ― an average of 35 years had passed
since women enrolled in the study had last breastfed an infant.
"The longer a mother nurses her baby, the better
for both of them," Dr. Schwarz pointed out.
"Our study provides another good reason for
workplace policies to encourage women to breastfeed their infants."
The findings are based on 139,681 postmenopausal
women enrolled in the Women's Health Initiative study of chronic
disease, initiated in 1994.
It also found the breastfeeding for more than a
year reduced the risk of high cholesterol by almost 20 percent, and both
diabetes and hypertension by 12 percent.
Some theories discussed about these results are
that breastfeeding may reduce fat stores in the body, which lowers
cardiovascular risk. These researchers, however, suggest breastfeeding
stimulates the release of hormones that play a part in lowering these
risks.
Co-authors of the study include Roberta Ray, M.S.,
Fred Hutchinson Research Center; Alison Stuebe, M.D., University of
North Carolina School of Medicine; Matthew Allison, M.D., University of
California, San Diego; Roberta Ness, M.D., M.P.H., University of Texas;
Matthew Freiberg, M.D., University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine; and
Jane Cauley, Dr.P.H., University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public
Health.
The research was funded by grants from the National
Institutes of Health's National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and the
National Institute of Child Health and Development.
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April 21, 2009 – A new study has found that older
women who breastfed their babies have a lower risk of heart attacks,
strokes and cardiovascular disease. And, the longer the women breastfed,
the lower the risk, according to University of Pittsburgh researchers in
a study published in the May issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology.
