We are all aware of the positive impact breastfeeding has on baby, but it looks like it can also positively affect mum’s health too.
A new study has discovered that breastfeeding can be beneficial for mums as it could lower the risk of stroke, especially among minorities.
In a study conducted by the American Heart Association, researchers discovered that women who breastfed at least one child were at a lower risk of stroke compared to those who didn’t breastfeed.
Over 80,000 women took part in the study, which is the first of its kind. The researchers analysed the habits of the post-menopausal women between 1993 and 1998.
58 percent of the participants breastfed their children.
Dr. Lisette T. Jacobson, lead author said, “Some studies have reported that breastfeeding may reduce the rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and risk of developing Type 2 diabetes in mothers. Recent findings point to the benefits of breastfeeding on heart disease and other specific cardiovascular risk factors.”
The team ensured to take other stroke risk factors into account like family history and age, but regardless of these factors, the risk of stroke for women who breastfed was 23 percent lower.
This risk was 48 percent lower for black women, 23 percent for Latino women and 21 percent for white women.
Women who breastfed for six months or longer also dashed their risk of stroke by 19 percent.
