Breastfeeding could lower risk of diabetes

A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association says that breastfeeding could lower women’s risk of diabetes by 15 percent each year she nurses.

The findings add to a growing list of benefits from nursing for both mother and child, including less risk of cancer and osteoporosis for women and fewer ear infections for the newborn. Researchers said the benefit may result from the 500 calories a day burned in nursing. That helps lower blood sugar levels and makes nursing mothers more sensitive to insulin, the opposite of what is seen in diabetics, past studies have shown.
“Supporting breast feeding is not just an important issue for babies. It’s a woman’s health issue,” said lead author Alison Stuebe of Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston in a telephone interview yesterday.

Just another reason to love those lactivists.