News article

New study shows breastfeeding links with less maternal cardiovascular disease

April 28, 2009

A woman’s breastfeeding history continues to affect her health even after menopause, according to a new study announced this month in Obstetrics and Gynecology. According to the study, the longer a woman breastfeeds, the lower her risk of high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes and cardiovascular disease. The massive study, of over 130,000 women from the Women’s Health Initiative, boosts previous research from other large studies from the Nurse’s Health Study showing that longer lifetime breastfeeding is linked with lower risk of maternal type 2 diabetes and coronary artery disease.

Women who breastfed more than twelve months had significantly lower risks of these four conditions. The study controlled for many possible confounding factors, including body mass index, family history, race, age, number of children, and age at menopause.

These results further support the rising demand for better support of breastfeeding as a women’s health issue. While over 3/4 of women initiate breastfeeding, most stop in the first weeks or months. The causes are multi-factorial, but include widespread failure of hospitals in the US to practice evidence-based care around breastfeeding, lack of insurance reimbursement for lactation care and services, aggressive marketing of infant formula by hospitals and health professionals, and lack of paid maternity leave and worksite support. Less than 3% of US hospitals are certified as “Baby-Friendly,” and a recent CDC survey found the average US hospital scored only 63 out of 100 possible points in their compliance with evidence-based care around breastfeeding. The US joins Lesotho, Swaziland, and Papua New Guinea as the only four countries in the world without paid maternity leave.

While evidence around the health effects of not breastfeeding tends to focus on the health of the infant, the evidence for the importance of breastfeeding on women’s health is growing. Previous studies have already linked duration of breastfeeding with lower risks of maternal breast and ovarian cancer.

“When we fail to provide the support young families need to breastfeed, we increase the risks of health problems for mothers and for babies,” states Dr. Alison Stuebe, a North Carolina obstetrician and one of the authors of the new study.