Breastfeeding is good for Mother's Heart Health

A mother who gives milk not only provides benefits to the baby alone, because it can also increase the nursing heart health of the mother. This is according to a report in the journal Obstetrics & Gynecology.

Researchers reported that women who breastfeed for more than 12 months can reduce your risk of heart disease by 10 percent, but it also significantly reduces the risk factors for heart disease like high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol.

"We found that the longer the mother is breastfeeding her child, the risk of heart attack, stroke and other heart disease will also be getting smaller," said Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, an assistant professor at the University of Pittsburgh Center for Research on Health Care, as quoted by AP on Thursday (15/10/2009).

It was common knowledge that the benefits of breastfeeding exclusively for 6 months will provide great benefits to the baby. In addition, breastfeeding also provides for the mother as mafaat help you lose weight and improve glucose tolerance and cholesterol metabolism.

In this study uses data from the Women's Health Initiative that involved 140,000 menopausal women with an average age of 63 years. Women are given information on diet and breast-feeding history, while the researchers collected data BMI (body mass index / body mass index), as well as her medical history. During the study participants submitted medical reports and the average time of this study was 8 years old.

Researchers found that women who do not breastfeed tend to have high blood pressure, diabetes, normal cholesterol and heart disease. Schwarz says that women who breastfeed only one or two months can improve their health, but feeding a long time will provide greater benefits again.

After a year of breastfeeding was found that the possibility of having high blood pressure decreasing by 12 percent, diabetes decreased by 20 percent, the level of abnormal cholesterol decreased by 19 percent and the risk of heart disease decreased by 9 percent compared with women who did not breastfeed.

"Many factors play a role here, the process will mobilize fat feeding and has an effect on cholesterol. This also increases levels of the hormone oxytocin can make blood vessels relax," said Dr. Nieca Goldberg, director of the New York University Langone Medical Center Women's Heart Program.

But not just breastfeeding only factor that can reduce the risk of heart disease, but the pattern of life as a young man also contribute. Therefore, if you want to get maximum results, apply a healthy lifestyle and give milk to your child.