Breastfeeding May Lower Risk Of Type 2 Diabetes In Moms

Breastfeeding may protect against Type 2 diabetes, according to a recent study.

Researchers at Kaiser Permanente found that women with gestational diabetes who breastfed from the time they gave birth were able to cut their risk of developing the health issue by nearly half. Women with gestational diabetes were up to seven times more likely to develop Type 2 diabetes several years after pregnancy, researchers said. 

"Both the level and duration of breastfeeding may offer unique benefits to women during the post-delivery period for protection against development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes pregnancy," said Dr. Erica Gunderson, an epidemiologist and senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, in a news release.

During the study, they enrolled over 1,000 of its members in Northern California who had been diagnosed with gestational diabetes between 2008 and 2011. Seventy-five percent of the women in the study were Asian, Hispanic or of African-American heritage. The participants were given in-person exams between six and nine weeks following delivery as they joined the study. 

Researchers found that about 12 percent of the women developed type 2 diabetes within two years of giving birth. They also found that higher lactation and the longer the duration of breastfeeding there was a lower chance of developing the condition--ranging from a 35 percent to a 57 percent reduction in diabetes risk. Women who exclusively formula-fed their babies were roughly twice as likely to develop diabetes.

The study is particularly important as properly educating women on the importance of breastfeeding could help to improve early diabetes prevention efforts.

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