Breastfeeding is the best food for the baby due to the innumerable benefits it brings, both from a nutritional and an immunological point of view. However, breastfeeding not only has advantages for the baby’s health, but also for the mother’s.
Breastfeeding is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes, ovarian cancer, and breast cancer, as well as benefits for the mother’s cardiovascular health.
According to a meta-analysis published in a special issue on pregnancy in the Journal of the American Heart Association (JAHA) , women who breastfeed are less likely to develop heart disease or stroke , or to die from cardiovascular disease than women who do not breastfeed.
Breastfeeding protects the mother’s heart
The researchers reviewed information from eight studies conducted between 1986 and 2009 in Australia, China, Norway, Japan, and the United States and one multinational study. The review included the health records of almost 1.2 million women (mean age 25 years at the time of first delivery) and looked at the relationship between breastfeeding and the mother’s individual cardiovascular risk.
According to the review, 82% of women reported having breastfed at some point in their life. Compared with women who never breastfed, those who reported lifetime breastfeeding had an 11% lower risk of developing 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.
“It is important that women are aware of the benefits of breastfeeding for the health of their babies and also for their own personal health”, stresses Peter Willeit, from the University of Innsbruck (Austria) and author of the study.
“In addition, these findings from high-quality studies conducted around the world highlight the need to encourage and support breastfeeding , such as breastfeeding-friendly work environments, and breastfeeding education and programs for women. families before and after childbirth “.
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