Two studies this year have demonstrated the heart-health benefits to mothers who nursed their babies, on the average, 35 years previously.
In the February 2009 issue of the Journal of Obstetrics & Gynecology, a study involved with the breastfeeding history of 90,000 nurses concluded that women who had breastfed for a lifetime total of two years or more had a 23% lower risk of coronary heart disease decades later compared to those women who never breastfed a baby. Since heart disease is the leading cause of death among women, this is a significant finding.
The second study got most of the publicity. In the May 2009 issue of Obstetics & Gynecology, a study of 140,000 post-menopausal women concluded that “increased duration of lactation was associated with a lower prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease…women who had a cumulative lifetime duration of lactation greater than 12 months were approximately 10% less likely to have developed cardiovascular disease” compared to women who had babies and never breastfed. Breastfeeding for more than a year also cut the risk of high blood pressure by 12% and both diabetes and high cholesterol by around 20%. The last time these mothers had breastfed was, on the average, 35 years ago!
Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Healthcare was one of the authors of the second study and summarized it as follows: “Women put themselves at risk by becoming pregnant and not fulfilling the cycle that nature has intended. In my mind, the cycle really ends with breastfeeding. During pregnancy, the body stores up a bunch of nutrients with the plan that it’s going to release much of this in the form of breast milk, a very calorific food. If this doesn’t happen, what we see is that the woman’s body pays the price. Breastfeeding really helps bring you back to your baseline, and it helps women recover from the stress that pregnancy entails.” As she says, “The longer a mother nurses her baby, the better for both of them.”
Sheila Kippley
Breastfeeding and Catholic Motherhood
The Seven Standards of Ecological Breastfeeding
Breastfeeding and Natural Child Spacing