Breast-Feeding Can Prevent Type 2 Diabetes
Another plus for breastfeeding. According to the University of South Carolina researchers, babies who are breast-fed are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes as adolescents. The researchers analyzed 80 people between the ages of 10 and 21 years with type 2 diabetes and 167 individuals who did not have diabetes. The results showed that breastfeeding rate was lower among people with type 2 diabetes, compared with the non-diabetic group. This trend seems consistent across three ethnic groups studied: African-Americans, whites, and Hispanics.
The researchers concluded that breastfeeding had a protective effect against type 2 diabetes. The exact mechanism of this protection is not fully understood but is strongly related to breastmilk`s ability to control childhood weights.
Breast milk is the perfect food for a newborn baby. One of the biggest benefits is that breast milk transfers antibodies to the baby, giving them automatic immunity to illnesses that the mother is immune to. Breastfed infants also tend to have a lower risk of obesity than formula-fed infants. On top of that, breastfeeding is a mutually beneficial experience for moms and babies. Women who breastfeed have a reduced risk of breast and ovarian cancers and osteoporosis later in life. They are also able to return to their pre-pregnancy weight faster (breastfeeding uses up about 500 calories a day!).
Sources:
Mayer-Davis et al. Breast-Feeding and Type 2 Diabetes in the Youth of Three Ethnic Groups. Diabetes Care 31:470-475, 2008
Trish says...
I’m a diabetic mother who still breastfeeds her toddler, so this article is exciting to me. I know that I am giving doing the best thing nutritionally for my daughter by breastfeeding. I would like to add however, that it should be taken into account that the study could have had the results it had due to more factors than breastfeeding. Breastfeeding isn’t always easy (I was in pain for months, and then pumped two or three times a day when I went back to work), but many mothers stick to it because they are dedicated to the optimum health of their baby. I’d imagine then that the same dedicated mother would also teach her children to maintain healthy eating habits throughout their whole childhood, resulting in a lower likelihood of Type 2 diabetes. Actually, it would be my opinion that the diet consumed during the decade or two between being a baby and ages studied has a significantly stronger affect on developing diabetes than whether they were breastfed or not.
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Science-mom says...
Kudos to you, Trish, for continuing to breastfeed despite the problems involved. I also had problems breastfeeding my twins so I resorted to pumping 6x a day for 4 months. Then my doctor ordered me to stop due to my health problems. I was sad to stop but had no choice. I agree that breastfeeding alone cannot completely prevent type 2 diabetes. But I think breastfeeding lays the foundation to a healthy weight that can be easily maintained as the child grows – as long as mom continues to give him/her the right nutrition. Its always good to start early!
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