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Study How breastfeeding can protect against diabetes in the long term
(aid) - Breastmilk is the best food for the child. But the woman also benefits if she breastfeeds her baby longer. From a breastfeeding period of three months, the maternal metabolism changes in the long term, according to a study by Helmholtz Zentrum München. This has a protective effect against diabetes that can last up to 15 years.
At least four percent of all pregnant women in Germany have gestational diabetes before birth. Diabetes is now considered the most common concomitant disease in pregnancy. Blood glucose levels usually return to normal after delivery, but the risk of Type 2 diabetes increases. Thus, within the next ten years, every second affected person develops a permanently elevated blood sugar level. Studies also suggest that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of metabolic disorder.
Breastfeeding prevents diabetes. Picture: rohappy - fotolia The aim of the current study was to clarify the reasons for this positive effect. For this purpose, the scientists of the Helmholtz Center together with partners of the Technical University of Munich and the German Center for Diabetes Research (DZD) investigated the metabolism of nearly 200 women with gestational diabetes. On average, three and a half years had passed since the birth. The test subjects should show in a test how well their body can handle a higher amount of sugar (75g). For this purpose, blood samples were taken on an empty stomach and 30 or 120 minutes after ingestion of the sugar solution and analyzed for a total of 156 metabolites.
Apparently, some metabolic pathways associated with diabetes and insulin resistance are positively influenced by breastfeeding. Depending on the duration of breastfeeding, the values for certain parameters were different. Thus, in women who had breastfed for at least three months, the production of so-called phospholipids changed. In addition, the blood plasma concentration of branched-chain amino acids (leucine, isoleucine, valine) was lower.
Breastfeeding acts like a "reset" on the metabolism, the scientists suspect. Disturbed paths are reset to the origin and remain in this natural state for many years. Therefore, especially women with gestational diabetes should be supported in breastfeeding. The positive effect was independent of the current age and body mass index (BMI). However, it can not be ruled out that the overall healthier living habits of women who breastfeed longer have an influence. The mechanisms of how breastfeeding changes the metabolism have not yet been clarified and will be explored in further investigations.
"Women with gestational diabetes, on average, are less likely to breastfeed and shorter than non-diabetic mothers," Dr. Sandra Hummel, head of the study. "The goal is now to develop strategies that improve the long-term breastfeeding, especially of mothers with gestational diabetes." Concrete recommendations for action, as demanded by her, already exist in the Healthy Network. The nationwide consistent recommendations for action in the field of nutrition and physical activity are supported by all relevant specialist societies, institutions and associations that are active in advising young families. These include the professional associations of gynecologists (BVF), midwives (DHV) and pediatricians (BVKJ) as well as the German gynecological and obstetric societies (DGGG) and pediatric and adolescent medicine (DGKJ). Heike Kreutz, aid