Nursing Lowers Mom's Diabetes Risk

Study: Breast-Feeding Reduces Risk For Both Mother And Child

(AP) 
With diabetes the nation's sixth-leading cause of death and 82 million U.S. women of childbearing age, even a small risk reduction could have a big effect, Stuebe said.

Continuous breast-feeding for at least one year appeared to be slightly better than breast-feeding each child for shorter durations, but the differences were minimal, Stuebe said.

Schwartz said the results may reflect the healthy lifestyles of women who breast-feed rather than breast-feeding itself. But the researchers said that taking habits such as exercise, diet and smoking into account did not change the results.

Dr. Ruth Lawrence of the University of Rochester in New York, author of a medical textbook on breast-feeding, called the results compelling.

She noted that previous research has suggested that breast-feeding might reduce women's risk of breast and ovarian cancer and osteoporosis. If diabetes could be added to that list, the effect would be substantial, Lawrence said.

Breast-feeding has numerous health benefits for babies, too, so encouraging mothers to nurse "is kind of a win-win from a public health standpoint," Stuebe said.