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Breastfeeding appears to also have a protective effect once morest the risk of developing heart disease or stroke, or dying from a disease, according to a meta-analysis published today in
«Journal of American Heart Association (JAHA)».
The health benefits of breastfeeding for children are well known. According to
World Health Organization (WHO), is linked to fewer respiratory infections and a lower risk of death from infectious diseases for babies who were breastfed. Additionally, it has also been linked to maternal health benefits, including a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer.
Although some previous studies have investigated
the association between breastfeeding and the risk of cardiovascular disease in the mother, the findings were inconsistent.
Now, Peter Willeit’s team from the
University of Innsbruck (Austria) has reviewed information from eight studies conducted between 1986 and 2009 in Australia, China, Norway, Japan, and the US and one multinational study.
The review included health records of almost 1.2 million women (with an average age of 25 years at the first delivery) and analyzed the relationship between breastfeeding and the mother’s individual cardiovascular risk.
The review found that 82% of women acknowledged having breastfed at some point in their life.
Furthermore, compared to those who never breastfed, women who did breastfeed at some point in their life had a risk of developing cardiovascular disease a 11% lower.
Specifically, following an average follow-up of 10 years, women who breastfed at some point in their life were 14% less likely to develop coronary heart disease, 12% less likely to suffer strokes, and 17% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease. .
Also, those who had breastfed for more than 12 months appeared to be less likely to develop cardiovascular disease than women who did not breastfeed.
The researchers found notable differences in the risk of cardiovascular disease between women of different ages or according to the number of pregnancies.
Despite breastfeeding recommendations from organizations such as the
WHO, which recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed Up to six months of age, only 1 in 4 babies receives only breast milk during the first six months of life.
«It is important that women be aware of the benefits of breastfeeding for the health of their babies and also for their own health Willeit states. These findings highlight the need to encourage and support breastfeeding, such as breastfeeding-friendly work environments and breastfeeding education and programs for families before and following delivery. ‘
A limitation of this meta-analysis is that little information was available on women who breastfed for more than two years. “If we had these data, we might have calculated better estimates of the association between the duration of breastfeeding and the development of cardiovascular disease in mothers,” concludes Tschiderer.
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