Breastfeeding helps mother鈥檚 cardio health for three years or more
A new South Australian study has found breastfeeding for听six months or more appears to reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems developing in mothers for听at least听three years after delivery.
The surprising cardio-metabolic benefit for maternal health is particularly important for women who experienced a complicated pregnancy, which can increase their chance of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD) later in life.
The new results 鈥 published this month in the听听by experts from the 成人大片 and Flinders University 鈥 stem from a long-running study of 160 breastfeeding mothers who took part in follow-up health checks after delivery of their babies.
The study found women who breastfed for at least six months experienced lower blood pressure and body-weight recovery (or BMI) for up to three years after the birth of their baby.
Senior author,听Professor Claire Roberts, who leads the Pregnancy Health and Beyond (鈥楶HaB Lab鈥) research group at Flinders University, says the study was positive for women with pregnancy complications, as they recorded听lower blood pressure and improved cholesterol measures听at听three years postpartum.
鈥淭hat means that breastfeeding improves women鈥檚 cardio metabolic risk factors, which is good news for new mothers who might be at risk of developing future cardiovascular听and metabolic听diseases,鈥 says Matthew Flinders Professor Roberts, from Flinders College of Medicine and Public Health.
鈥淧regnancy complications are associated with later cardiovascular disease risk and their children are also at risk of impaired metabolic health earlier in life.
鈥滱long with neurological and other health benefits for babies, the World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding exclusively for up to six months, and breastfeeding over 12 months to promote a significant reduction in both chronic hypertension and diabetes in women.鈥
The new South Australian study听was听led by 成人大片 PhD Dr Maleesa Pathirana and colleagues from the Robinson Research Institute, Lyell McEwin Hospital cardiology department and Flinders University,听who conducted the follow-up of 280 women and their children听from the Screening Tests to Predict Outcomes of Pregnancy (STOP) study听between 2018 and 2021. 听听听听
鈥淲e found that women who breastfed for at least six months had significantly lower body mass index听(BMI), lower blood pressure, mean arterial pressure and lower central blood pressure than those who did not,鈥 says Dr Pathirana.
鈥淲e found that if women with at least one major pregnancy complication 鈥 like preeclampsia, gestational hypertension and gestational diabetes 鈥 breastfed for at least six months, they had significantly lower blood pressure, improved cholesterol profile and lower insulin compared to those听who听did not breastfeed for at least six months.
鈥淭hese findings indicate an overall improvement in cardiovascular health.鈥
The SA researchers recommended further investigations in a larger sample size of women who breastfeed compared to those who choose not to breastfeed.
They also recommended more interventions that support breastfeeding in disadvantaged or low socioeconomic areas, particularly for women with pregnancy complications to reduce their lifetime risk of cardiovascular disease.
Media contact:
Professor Claire Roberts, Flinders Health and Medical Research Institute and College of Medicine and Public Health, Flinders University听Mob: +61 0406 381 575听听Email:听claire.roberts@flinders.edu.au
Dr听Maleesa Pathirana, Robinson Research Institute & The 成人大片 and Department of Cardiology, Lyell McEwin Hospital Tel: +61 0403 220 812听Email:听maleesa.pathirana@adelaide.edu.au
Johnny von Einem, Media Coordinator, The 成人大片. Mobile: +61 0430 476 300, Email:听johnny.voneinem@adelaide.edu.au