Researchers have long known that breastfeeding mothers benefit from less incidence of breast and ovarian cancer and type II diabetes than formula-feeding mothers. A new study shows yet more strong correlation between breastfeeding and lower rates of diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
Nearly 140,000 post-menopausal women were studied in the Women’s Health Initiative. According to the Vancouver Sun (via One Small Step for Breastfeeding…), the study revealed breastfeeding’s heart health benefits on three levels:
1. Risk Factors. Women who breastfed their babies had lower incidence of the following three risk factors for heart disease: diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol.
2. …read more

Hi there. Kendra here from Diabetes Notes, a fellow blogger at the science and health channel. Being a nurse, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the words, “I know I can’t breastfeed after I have the baby, I’m a diabetic.” And I can’t count how many times I have said, “the heck you can’t.” There are proven benefits to both the baby and the diabetic mommy who breastfeed.
What are they you ask? Let me give you a few…
1. Babies that are breastfed have a reduced risk for developing diabetes later on in life.
2. Prolonging the introduction …read more

Given that November is American Diabetes Month, it’s a good time to highlight a recent Harvard Public School of Health study that indicated breastfeeding can help break the cycle of diabetes:
The Growing Up Today Study (GUTS) followed 15,253 boys and girls, showing that children who had been breastfed were 34 percent less likely to become obese, regardless of whether the mother was overweight or had diabetes.
When the researchers took into account factors such as daily food intake and weekly hours spent watching television and being physically active, breastfed children were 15 percent less likely to be overweight.
With childhood obesity …read more