 Breastfeeding lowers risk of MS relapse-US study
Source: Reuters Date: 06/08/09
Breastfeeding may protect women with multiple sclerosis against relapses of their disease, possibly by delaying a return to normal monthly cycles, U.S. researchers reported on Monday.
They
found that MS patients who nursed their babies exclusively -- meaning
no bottled formula -- for at least two months appeared less likely to
have a relapse within a year of the child's birth than women who did
not breastfeed.
"It
is well-known that women with MS have fewer relapses during pregnancy
and a high risk of relapse in the postpartum period," the researchers
wrote in the Archives of Neurology.
Women
also are advised not to take MS drugs during pregnancy or while
breastfeeding, so patients must choose between nursing their babies and
resuming treatment. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends
breastfeeding exclusively for the first six months of a baby's life and
continued nursing for at least a year.
Dr.
Annette Langer-Gould, formerly of Stanford University School of
Medicine in California and now of Kaiser Permanente Southern California
in Pasadena, and her colleagues studied 32 pregnant women with MS and
29 pregnant women without MS.
Nearly all -- 96 percent -- of the healthy women breastfed their babies, as opposed to 69 percent of the MS patients.
They
found that 87 percent of the women with MS who did not breastfeed, or
who started using formula within two months, had a relapse, compared to
36 percent of those who gave their babies only breast milk for at least
two months.
The
women who breastfed exclusively delayed the return of normal
menstruation, the researchers noted. Those whose monthly cycles stayed
repressed, a normal effect of breastfeeding, were those whose MS
symptoms did not return.
"Studies
of immunity and breastfeeding, while plentiful, are predominantly
focused on breast milk content and health benefits to the infant.
Little is known about maternal immunity during breastfeeding," the
researchers wrote.
Multiple
sclerosis occurs when the immune system mistakenly attacks the fatty
myelin sheath protecting nerve cells. It affects 2.5 million people
globally -- disproportionately women of childbearing age. It can cause
mild illness in some people and permanent disability in others.
Symptoms may include numbness or weakness in the limbs, loss of vision and an unsteady gait.
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