New research has found that women with normal blood pressure while expecting and who then breastfed their babies for at least six months after birth had better indicators of cardiovascular health years afterward compared to mums who hadn't breastfed.

 

However, women who experienced high blood pressure while pregnant did not exhibit these same health benefits if they breastfed.

 

This is reportedly the first study to examine how breastfeeding affects heart health for women years after they've given birth. 

 

"The study adds to the evidence that lactation is important not just for the baby but for the mother. Breastfeeding seems to be cardioprotective in these women, as evidenced by improved cholesterol and markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease," noted Malamo Countouris, MD, the study's lead author.

 

 

The study analysed data from 678 pregnant women recruited at clinics in Michigan between the years 1998 and 2004, Science Daily reports. These women then had a follow-up health assessment in seven to 15 years' time (for an average of just over 11 years).

 

At this later assessment, the research team measured cardiovascular markers like the women's cholesterol, blood pressure, triglycerides, and the diameter and thickness of the carotid artery. These different measurements are often used as indicators of heart disease risk. The researchers also asked how long the women breastfed.

 

The participants were categorised as not having breastfed (157 women), breastfeeding for less than six months for each pregnancy (284 women), breastfeeding for six months or longer per pregnancy (133 women).

 

After adjusting for factors like age, socio-economic status, and body mass index, the researchers found that mums who breastfed for six or more months exhibited lower triglycerides and healthier carotid artery thickness than their counterparts who had not breastfed at all.

 

As well, these women had significantly higher levels of 'good' cholesterol, known as HDL, than women who had never breastfed.

 

 

Countouris stated, "There's a lot we still don't understand about the accumulation of cardiovascular risks in women. Examining how pregnancy may increase or perhaps mitigate some of that risk can give us insights into the unique presentation and development of heart disease risk in women."

 

There did not seem to be any heart health improvement for women with high blood pressure who breastfed, but the researchers observed that there may have been too few women with this condition for any significant benefit to them to be seen.

 

The team acknowledged that their study may have been limited by the fact that they relied on self-reporting from the women on their high blood pressure or preeclampsia.

 

The researchers used data from the Pregnancy Outcomes and Community Health (POUCH) and POUCHmoms studies. These were both funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.

 

Are you surprised by the findings of this study?

Latest

Trending