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Our Expert on Women's Health
Q: I’ve heard that breastfeeding might reduce my risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Is this true?Ask Our Expert About Breastfeeding and Diabetes Risk
Q: I’ve heard that breastfeeding might reduce my risk for developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Is this true?A: You heard correctly! According to a recent study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), each year of breastfeeding reduces a mother’s risk for developing diabetes by 15 percent. Additional research shows that your baby benefits as well. Breastfed babies have a lower risk of developing type 1 and type 2 diabetes than bottle-fed babies. Q: How does nursing lower risk?A: At this point, researchers don’t have all the answers. In the past, researchers thought breastfeeding probably lowered risk by burning calories. When you nurse, your body burns an extra 500 calories a day on average to make milk for your baby. As a result, mothers who nurse tend to more easily lose their baby weight. Because many studies have linked excess body weight with diabetes risk, this theory seemed plausible. The recent JAMA study, however, determined that breastfeeding lowered diabetes risk regardless of body weight. In other words, even mothers who did not lose their baby weight through nursing experienced a reduced diabetes risk. So, some other factor than body weight is at work. It’s possible that the increased calorie burning may still lower risk by nudging body cells to take up more blood sugar for energy. Breastfeeding also keeps estrogen levels low, which in turn may improve insulin sensitivity. When body cells are more “sensitive” to the hormone insulin, they more efficiently absorb blood sugar and burn it for energy. When your cells are less sensitive to insulin, your pancreas must secrete more insulin to lower blood sugar levels, setting the stage for diabetes. Q: How long do I have to nurse to see a benefit?A: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that you nurse for at least one year. The longer you nurse, the greater the impact on your health. In addition to reducing your diabetes risk, long-term nursing will also lower your risk of other diseases, including breast and ovarian cancer. If your lifestyle allows, I recommend you nurse until your child naturally weans, rather than weaning your child. Personally, I nursed my oldest child for a year and a half and my second child for three years. I have a family history of diabetes, so I’m excited that this longer-term nursing has reduced my diabetes risk by nearly 70 percent! This page last updated 11/4/08 03:09 PM
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