Women who have breastfed a baby are less likely to develop heart disease, have a stroke, or die from cardiovascular disease, according to a new Austrian study.
The researchers, led by Peter Vilait, a professor of clinical epidemiology at the Medical University of Innsbruck in Austria, who published their findings in the American cardiology journal *Journal of the American Heart Association*, evaluated eight studies from various countries, involving a total of nearly 1.2 million women, analyzing the relationship between breastfeeding and the mother’s subsequent cardiovascular health. 82% of the women had given birth and breastfed at some point in their lives.
The study (meta-analysis) found that, compared with women who had never breastfed, those who had breastfed had, on average, a 11% lower risk of developing cardiovascular disease. They also had a 14% lower risk of coronary heart disease, a 12% lower risk of stroke, and a 17% lower risk of death from cardiovascular causes.
Women who had breastfed for at least 12 months during their lifetime had a greater reduction in risk. There was no significant difference in the risk of cardiovascular disease among women of different ages.
The health benefits of breastfeeding for both the child and the mother have long been recognized. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), Breastfeeding reduces the risk of respiratory infections in children, as well as their risk of death from infectious diseases. Breastfeeding also reduces a mother’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes and ovarian or breast cancer. The new study also highlights the cardiovascular benefits for women who breastfed their babies.
The WHO and other scientific organizations, such as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), recommend that babies be exclusively breastfed for at least six months after birth, although it is estimated that this occurs in only one-quarter of infants.
