A new study by University of Pittsburgh researchers has found that women who exclusively breastfeed their children for at least one month are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
The researchers studied the records of 2233 women, including 1828 mothers of which 56% breastfed their children for at least one month. The researchers found risk of type 2 diabetes among women who consistently breastfed their children for more than one month remained similar to that of women who had never given birth. In contrast, mothers who had never breastfed an infant were more likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life independent of physical activity and body mass index in later life.
The study was published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
