Can Breastfeeding Decease Diabetes Risk?

Filed in archive Research on March 16, 2006

Supporters of breastfeeding have long praised its benefits, both physical and mental: breastfeeding provides infants with essential nutrients, and increases bonding between mother and child.

But could it also help prevent diabetes?

A new study suggests that mothers who breastfeed experience a decrease in the likelihood of contracting diabetes.

The study of more than 157,000 mothers found that for each year a woman breastfed her baby, she was 15 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes in the next 15 years. It didn't matter how a woman tallied up the time; feeding one baby for 12 months or two for six months, each worked equally well.

It is unclear whether this is due to the weight loss often experienced during breastfeeding, or to lactation improving insulin response. Still, it's one more example of the amazing way our bodies fight to keep us as healthy as possible.