Breastfeeding Benefits – For Mom, Too
It’s well known that breastfeeding benefits babies in numerous ways. Breast milk contains just the right balance of nutrients and is gentlest on a baby's systems. It also provides different kinds of disease-fighting agents that help prevent infections. But did you know that breastfeeding also has many benefits to mothers?
A recent study finds that breastfeeding reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome – a combination of health disorders that increase the risk of diabetes and heart disease. Metabolic syndrome affects up to 37 percent of U.S. women between the ages of 20 and 59.
Studies have shown other health advantages for breastfeeding mothers, including:
- Decreased risk of breast cancer. Breastfeeding reduces a woman’s chance of developing breast cancer. Research shows that the reduced risk is related to duration. That is, the longer a mother breastfeeds, the lower her risk of breast cancer.
- Decreased risk of ovarian cancer. During lactation, a woman’s estrogen levels are lower. Studies have shown that if less estrogen is available to stimulate the lining of the uterus, the risk of these tissues becoming cancerous is also lower.
- Lower risk of osteoporosis. Although calcium levels can be lower while breastfeeding, researchers have shown that after a mother is finished breastfeeding, her bone density increases to a level higher than that of a mother who has not breastfed.
- Promotes weight loss. Breastfeeding mothers tend to have an earlier return to their prepregnancy weight.
- Improves emotional health. Breastfeeding is good for the body and the mind. Experts say that breastfeeding mothers show less postpartum depression and anxiety than formula-feeding mothers.
And what’s more, breastfeeding costs less! Infant formula can cost over a thousand dollars for the first year of baby’s life. A breastfeeding mother will save approximately $400 during the first year of breastfeeding, according to The American Academy of Pediatrics.
Reviewed by: Patrick S. Pasquariello Jr., MD
Date: January 2010
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