by Allison Micarelli-Sokoloff
May 27, 2010

Pregnant? Guess what? Your risk for type 2 diabetes just went up. But not to worry. You can neutralize that risk by simply breastfeeding your baby!

A recent study published in Diabetes Care revealed that each year of breastfeeding was associated with a 14 percent decrease in the risk for type 2 diabetes. Researchers at the University of Western Sydney questioned nearly 53,000 women ages 45 and older—some with children, some without—about their health and lifestyle. They found no difference in the risk for type 2 diabetes between women with children and those without. However, women with children who did not breastfeed had a 50 percent increased risk for developing type 2 diabetes disease compared to women who breastfed for as little as three months.

The incidence of type 2 diabetes was the same—5 percent—among women who had never had children and those who had children and breastfed each child for more than three months. Among women who had children but never breastfed, the incidence of type 2 diabetes was nearly double—9.5 percent; among those who breastfed three months or less, the incidence of type 2 diabetes was 7 percent.

After controlling for those factors that might affect a woman’s likelihood of breastfeeding and/or developing type 2 diabetes—including age, weight, family history of type 2 diabetes, reported exercise habits, education, and income level—the association between breastfeeding and the risk for type 2 diabetes persisted.

These findings do not prove that breastfeeding protects against type 2 diabetes, but the results are in line with past studies linking breastfeeding to a similar reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes.

“It appears that having children increases the chances of women developing type 2 diabetes in later life, but breastfeeding can reduce this risk to the same level as that of women who have never had children,” Dr. Bette Liu, lead researcher, told Reuters Health.

Nearly 1 in 10 Americans is affected by type 2 diabetes. In 2007, costs related to diabetes (type 1, 2, and gestational) were estimated to be $174 billion. Despite its prevalence, the cause(s) of diabetes is unclear, so too is why breastfeeding would reduce the risk. One theory is that breastfeeding decreases the risk for metabolic syndrome—the subject of a previous post on baby gooroo. Until more data is available, women are advised to stay within a healthy weight range; eat a diet that is high in fiber, low in fat, and includes between three and five servings of fruit and vegetables each day; exercise daily; and now breastfeeding can be added to the ‘to do’ list.

Click here to get more tips on prevention and to take the American Diabetes’ Association “Diabetes Risk Test.”