Originally published January 31 2006
Doctor discovers breastfeeding may protect mothers against type 2 diabetes
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Conducting an analysis of the Harvard-based Nurses Health Study, Dr. Alison M. Stuebe, a maternal-fetal specialist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital, found that the longer women breastfed their children, the lower her risk of diabetes ran.
Perhaps, she thought, the act of producing milk protects women in general from type 2 diabetes, a disease that is dangerously on the rise across America.
To find out if her theory was solid, the Boston physician turned to the Harvard-run Nurses Health Study, which has tracked thousands of nurses over the past 29 years -- recording information about diet, exercise, health and illness.
For the diabetes study, researchers were able to mine data on 150,000 women who had given birth.
"Lo and behold, when we plugged in lactation duration and the risk of diabetes, there was a clear dose response -- the longer a woman breast-fed, the lower her risk of diabetes," says Stuebe, a maternal-fetal specialist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital.
To Stuebe, who breast-fed her son, Noah, while toiling through her medical residency, the study carries a strong message -- not only for new mothers but for society as well.
"This isn't just about breast-feeding women, but their families and friends and people in the park who give you dirty looks when you breast-feed your baby," she says.
Stuebe, whose study appeared in the Journal of the American Medical Association in late November, cautions the study needs to be replicated in a broader population before the link between nursing and diabetes can be considered fact.
Type 2 diabetes is a condition in which the body doesn't produce enough insulin or its cells don't use the insulin the body does make.
By mid-century, only a quarter of American mothers left the hospital nursing their babies; the majority turned to infant formula.
Over the years, doctors have documented benefits to the mothers, too, which include a lowered risk of breast cancer, less postpartum bleeding and an easier time losing weight after pregnancy.
All content posted on this site is commentary or opinion and is protected under Free Speech. Truth Publishing LLC takes sole responsibility for all content. Truth Publishing sells no hard products and earns no money from the recommendation of products. NaturalNews.com is presented for educational and commentary purposes only and should not be construed as professional advice from any licensed practitioner. Truth Publishing assumes no responsibility for the use or misuse of this material. For the full terms of usage of this material, visit www.NaturalNews.com/terms.shtml