Prior studies have shown that lactation has long-term benefits, such as reduction in midlife metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular disease, to the mother. A new study demonstrated that women who do not breast-feed are at a greater risk of cardiovascular disease.
A new study published in the January 2010 issue of Obstetrics & Gynecology has shown that women who had never breast-fed were more likely to have vascular changes associated with cardiovascular disease than those who had breast-fed their children.
Investigators from Women Across the Nation (SWAN)-Heart study performed analysis on 300 women aged 42 to 52 years who had reported at least one previous live birth.
Subclinical cardiovascular diseases such as coronary arteries and carotid artery calcification/occlusion were evaluated using CT scan and B-mode ultrasonography.
The results indicated that women who were not breast-fed were almost four times more likely to have aortic calcification and nearly three times more likely to have coronary artery calcification than mothers who had consistently breast-fed. Also, women who had inconsistently breast-fed were twice likely to have coronary artery calcification.
Question: Did you want to breast feed your babies for longer term but were forced to wean off because of poor breast-feeding care supports in your community or in the workplace?
