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 Breast-feeding Good For Mother's Heart
Source: Serena Gordon
HealthDay Reporter Date: 8/24/09
Nursing baby brings cardiovascular benefits decades later, study suggests
Breast-feeding isn't just good for baby, it may also boost mom's cardiovascular health as she ages, new research suggests.
Women
in their 60s who had breast-fed for more than 12 months over their
lifespan were nearly 10 percent less likely to develop cardiovascular
disease, and significantly less likely to develop heart disease risk
factors, such as high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol,
researchers report.
"We
found that the longer women breast-feed, the lower their risk of heart
attacks, strokes or heart disease," said Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, an
assistant professor of medicine, epidemiology, obstetrics, gynecology
and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Center for
Research on Health Care.
Results of the study were published in the May issue of the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology .
It's
well-established that breast-feeding can benefit infant health, yet
just 11 percent of American mothers breast-feed exclusively for the
first six months of their babies' lives. In addition to benefiting
babies, breast-feeding can help women lose pregnancy weight, since
breast-feeding helps women burn almost 500 extra calories a day.
Breast-feeding has also been shown to improve glucose tolerance and the
metabolism of cholesterol, according to the study.
Although
a previous study noted a 23 percent reduction in heart attack risk in
women who had breast-fed for a total of two years or more, it wasn't
clear whether breast-feeding for shorter periods would have any
long-term impact on a mother's health.
To
assess whether or not breast-feeding could make a difference in
cardiovascular health years later, Schwarz and her colleagues used data
from the Women's Health Initiative that included nearly 140,000
postmenopausal women. The average age of the women in the study was 63.
The
women provided information on their diets as well as their
breast-feeding history. Researchers also collected information on body
mass index (BMI, a ratio of weight to height) and the women's medical
histories. All participants sent in an annual medical review during the
study. The average time in the study was just under eight years.
The
study authors found that women who breast-fed for one or more months
were less likely to have high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal
cholesterol and cardiovascular disease, but it wasn't until after six
months of total breast-feeding time that the trend toward lower heart
disease risk became statistically significant, according to Schwarz.
"Even
one or two months is going to improve a woman's heart health, but the
longer women breast-fed, the more benefit they got," she said.
After
a year of breast-feeding, the odds of having high blood pressure
dropped by 12 percent; the odds of diabetes decreased by 20 percent;
the rates of abnormal cholesterol levels went down by 19 percent; and
the overall risk of cardiovascular disease fell by 9 percent, compared
to women who never breast-fed, according to the study.
According
to Schwarz, the reason breast-feeding may benefit women even many years
later is because it "resets the body after pregnancy. There are certain
hormonal and physiologic changes the body expects to go through after
pregnancy and when those changes don't happen, that leaves certain body
systems in a precarious way."
Dr.
Nieca Goldberg, director of the New York University Langone Medical
Center Women's Heart Program, said many factors could be at play.
"Breast-feeding really mobilizes fat stores and has an impact on
cholesterol. It also increases levels of [the hormone] oxytocin, which
can relax blood vessels."
However,
she cautioned that the study only showed an association, not a
cause-and-effect relationship. It could be that women who choose to
breast-feed are women who are healthier in general, she noted.
But,
Goldberg added, the issue still warrants further study. She said it's
important for researchers to look specifically at things women do when
they're young and how they might affect heart health.
SOURCES:
Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, M.D., assistant professor, medicine,
epidemiology, obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences,
University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health Care,
Pittsburgh; Nieca Goldberg, M.D. director, women's heart program, New
York University Langone Medical Center, and associate professor, New
York University School of Medicine, New York City; May 2009, Obstetrics
& Gynecology
Copyright © 2009 ScoutNews, LLC . All rights reserved.URL:http://www.healthscout.com/template.asp?id=626255
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