Breastfeeding helps mom too

There’s no denying it: Nothing’s better for baby than breastfeeding.

And if your baby enjoyed mother’s milk years ago, you may be enjoying a benefit right now: a lower risk for metabolic syndrome, a dangerous set of conditions that can lead to diabetes and heart disease.

You won’t get that from a bottle!

A study published in the journal Diabetes finds that women who did not suffer from gestational diabetes during pregnancy were able to lower their risk of metabolic syndrome by 39 percent by breastfeeding for one to five months, and by 56 percent by breastfeeding for longer than nine months.

Women who suffered from gestational diabetes lowered their risk by 44 percent when they breastfed for between one and five months, and by 86 percent when they breastfed for more than nine months.

Metabolic syndrome includes weight gain, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and insulin resistance. With all those risk factors attacking at once, it’s no wonder that many of the people who suffer from it also end up battling obesity, diabetes and heart disease.

No one’s quite sure yet why this simple and perfectly natural act might make such a big difference… but it may have to do with blood-sugar levels during breastfeeding. Women who breastfeed have lower insulin levels.

They also tend to have higher levels of HDL (“good”) cholesterol and less belly fat after pregnancy, which may also help reduce that risk for metabolic syndrome years down the road.

Breastfeeding can help mom in other ways, too. Research has shown that women who breastfeed have a lower risk for osteoporosis later in life. Breastfeeding may also help reduce the risk of uterine, ovarian and breast cancers. It may even help with postpartum weight loss.

In addition, many new mothers simply enjoy that special bond they feel when they’re feeding their baby.

And of course, moms and dads alike benefit when they don’t have to spend big dollars on formula.

All that, and we haven’t even touched on all the benefits breastfeeding has for the baby… research has shown the children who were breastfed tend to be smarter and healthier.

Breastfeeding has also been shown to improve skin and vision in babies, as well as promote stronger teeth and may even lower the risk for obesity, diabetes and heart disease years later.

So if you breastfed your children, congratulations – your kids got a head start and you’re enjoying a lower risk for a terrible condition.

And if any of the women in your life are pregnant, be sure to share this great news with them.