Breastfeeding reduces maternal diabetes risk

Lower diabetes risk for nursing mothers

06/05/2014

It is well known that breastfeeding is good for babies. Researchers have now found that it also has a positive impact on their mothers' health. Breastfeeding had a beneficial effect on maternal body weight and metabolism and could also reduce the risk of diabetes 2.

Breastfeeding reduces diabetes 2 risk for mothers
Breastfeeding mothers have a lower risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to one study. Women who have breast-fed have a 40% reduced risk of disease compared to women who did not breast-feed their infants. This was announced by the German Institute for Nutritional Research (DIfE) on Monday in Potsdam-Rehbrücke. Apparently, the reason is that breastfeeding has a favorable influence on body weight and metabolism. For the study, the researchers evaluated data from a total of more than 1,260 mothers, which were collected as part of a long-term study between the years 1994 and 2005.

Breastfeeding improves the body weight and metabolism of the body
Questionnaires were used to determine the duration of breastfeeding and the mother's lifestyle. In addition, the body measurements were recorded and analyzed blood samples of women. It has been reported that on average, women who have breastfed for a long time have lower blood lipid levels and higher adiponectin levels. Adiponectin is a hormone released from adipose tissue that has a beneficial effect on fat and sugar metabolism, such as improving the insulin sensitivity of body cells. Study Director Matthias Schulze explained: „This suggests that breastfeeding improves both the body weight and metabolism of the body, which in turn reduces the risk of breastfeeding mothers for type 2 diabetes.“

Overweight as a risk factor for diabetes
This relationship applies regardless of lifestyle and social status. Obesity and obesity are considered to be key risk factors for the development of type 2 diabetes, which is also popularly known as senile sugar. In addition to the scientists from the Potsdam Institute and the Institute for Diabetes Research and Metabolic Diseases of the Helmholtz Zentrum München, the study also involved researchers from the Berlin Robert Koch Institute and the Berlin Charité. The scientists published the results of the study in the journal „Diabetologia“.

Breastfeeding is also about the duration
As early as 2012, scientists from the Institute for Diabetes Research had found out that breastfeeding is above all about duration if the diabetes risk is to be reduced. At that time it was communicated that „only those who breast-fed for more than three months have a 15-year risk of 42 percent for type 2 diabetes“ would have. The subjects of the study at the time were able to reduce their risk of illness even more by feeding their baby exclusively with breast milk during this period (15-year risk of 34.8 percent), according to the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD). (Sb)