differ by race or the presence of gestational diabetes, the study found.
Although the study cannot prove a cause-and-effect relationship because it was observational, the researchers suspect that breastfeeding quickly returns the body to a more normal metabolic state. Other studies have shown that when women breastfeed, their triglycerides (a type of blood fat) and blood sugar levels return to normal more quickly. Breastfeeding moms also secrete less insulin and use fat tissue stores.
Dr. Rekha Kumar is an endocrinologist at New York-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center’s Comprehensive Weight Control Center in New York City. She also thinks that breastfeeding likely has beneficial effects on insulin and blood sugar metabolism.
“Breastfeeding makes you more sensitive to the hormone insulin,” Kumar said.
However, she added that larger studies need to be done to duplicate the findings and to better understand the mechanism behind the protective effect.
Still, Kumar said: “I loved this study. For a long time, we have talked about the benefits of breastfeeding on infants, but we don’t always talk about the long-term benefits for mothers.”
Study author Gunderson said the benefits