MONDAY, April 20, 2009 (Health.com) — When Lana Phillip, now 45, decided to breast-feed her baby, she never imagined she would continue for three whole years. “I was living in Jamaica at the time where we say ‘breast is best,’ but I continued for so long mainly because my daughter wouldn’t take anything else,” she recalls. Sure, she knew that breast-fed babies tended to be healthier, but she didn’t know that she also might be doing her own heart a favor—an added bonus, as Phillip has a strong family history of heart disease and diabetes.
Women who breast-feed for longer than one year seem to be 10% to 15% less likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease after menopause than women who don’t breast-feed, according to a study in the May issue of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
“At my last physical, I had no signs of any heart problems,” says Phillip, who has been living in Brooklyn, N.Y. since 2000.
The U.S. Surgeon General currently recommends that babies be fed exclusively with breast milk for the first six months of life, but “the longer women nurse their babies, the better for both of their health,” says lead study author Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, an assistant professor of medicine, epidemiology, obstetrics, gynecology, and reproductive sciences at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health Care in Pennsylvania.
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Comments (4)
Beautiful! I nursed my babies for 3.5 years each, so this is great news. Also, I really hope that our culture changes such that more girls will see their own mothers (or friend’s mothers) breastfeed. I have so many friends whose mothers never nursed. When they had their own babies, they had no idea what to do and were immensely frustrated. Mom didn’t nurse, so couldn’t help. I never hid anywhere to nurse, and I hope other women will publicly nurse their babies so this becomes the norm instead of controversial.
Well bully. I had 4 and nursed each one for at least two years. I have high choley now, and so does my mom who nursed 5, not as long as I did, but for about 10 months each. Mom has multiple health issues but heart is not among them. The number of heavy breast feeders coming down with heart disease is only a fraction of a percent less. I think the more exciting # in this study is the way less number of long time nursers who have BP issues. There are rumblings that choley is only RELATED TO, but not necessarily the cause of heart disease. I have no other risk factors, i.e. I’m slender, I exercise a lot, eat healthy and don’t smoke. So no way am I going to stuff some liver destroying drug into my body just to bring down some number to make some doctor happy.
With best regards:
will you mail me the subjects be found in this research!!!I ‘lldo it in my country.Thanks
This is wonderful news, as I am positive that I am reaping the benefits of extended breastfeeding! I am 47 years old, and began breastfeeding my first child when I was 39. He self weaned at the age of three, about six months after his sister was born (yes, I nursed him through pregnancy, and tandem nursed for about six months). His sister is now almost fully weaned (down to 1-2 times a week, and has been nursing only once a day for about two and a half years). Seven and a half years of nursing in total. I also went back to work full time after taking a year of leave for each child, so breastfeeding a toddler while working is a doable thing (much more challenging if you need to return to work with a younger baby I know).
I am presently experiencing (very mild) symptoms of perimenopause. I am in excellent health, taking no daily medications of any kind. I truly believe that breastfeeding my children has played an important role in our current good health.