Breastfeeding reduces women's risk of heart disease for up to 15 years, new research suggests. Among women who had a healthy blood pressure during their pregnancies, breastfeeding for six months or longer significantly increases their so-called 'good cholesterol' levels, as well as lowering their amounts of circulating fat, a study found today.
Feeding naturally also reduces the thickness of the carotid artery, the research adds. This supplies the head and neck with oxygen-rich blood, with wider diameters being associated with stroke.
Lead author Dr Malamo Countouris from the University of Pittsburgh, said: 'The study adds to the evidence that lactation is important not just for the baby but for the mother.
'Breastfeeding seems to be cardioprotective in these women, as evidenced by improved cholesterol and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease.'
According to the researchers, breastfeeding stimulates the release of the hormone oxytocin, which may play a role in lowering blood pressure.
Around 80 percent of babies born in the US are breastfed to some extent. High blood pressure during pregnancy, known as pre-eclampsia, affects around three per cent of expectant mothers in the US.
Culled from UK Dailymail
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