Breastfeeding linked to lower risk of heart disease
This is the first time the protective relationship between breastfeeding and cardiovascular disease has been quantified, say researchers
Australian women are less likely to develop cardiovascular disease if they breastfeed, a study shows.
Mothers who breastfeed their babies have a 14% lower risk of developing, and 34% lower risk of dying from, cardiovascular disease, researchers say.
The findings, from an Australian study of more than 100,000 mothers in NSW, is the first time the protective relationship between breastfeeding and heart disease has been quantified, say the authors from the University of Sydney.
They linked 2006-09 survey data on mothers enrolled in the Sax Institute’s 45 and Up Study to hospitalisation and death data over an average follow-up of six years.
