New research suggests that breastfeeding may help protect both babies and women from developing diabetes. The study shows that extended breastfeeding is associated with a reduced risk of developing diabetes in women.
Diabetes is a medical condition characterized by consistently high or fluctuating blood sugar levels, often influenced by diet, and its symptoms are generally similar across different types of diabetes.
Breastfeeding refers to a mother feeding her baby or young child with milk produced from her breasts. Experts recommend breast milk as the best nutrition for infants, provided the mother does not have any transmissible infections.
While the study’s findings are not yet definitive, researchers propose that breastfeeding may alter a mother’s metabolism in ways that help stabilize blood sugar levels and increase the body’s sensitivity to insulin, the hormone that regulates blood sugar levels.
This hypothesis is supported by evidence from studies in both humans and rats, showing that breastfeeding mothers tend to have lower blood sugar levels compared to those who do not breastfeed.
Published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, the study found that women who breastfed for at least one year were approximately 15% less likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared to women who never breastfed. Moreover, each additional year of breastfeeding was linked to a further 15% reduction in risk.
The research followed 157,000 nurses who completed regular health questionnaires over a period of at least 12 years. During the study, 6,277 participants were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes.
