breast emptying; 20 mothers with moderate milk production; and a control group of 18 who breastfed exclusively.
Compared to the other mothers, those with very little milk had significantly higher rates of obesity and biological markers of systemic inflammation.
While milk and blood fatty acids were strongly linked in the control group, that was not true in the groups with moderate or very low milk production.
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The benefits of breastfeeding
“Breastfeeding has innumerable benefits for both the mother and child, including lower risk of chronic disease for mom and lower risk of infections for baby,” says study co-author Alison Gernand, associate professor of nutritional sciences at Penn State.
Benefits for Infants
Infants who are breastfed have reduced risks of:
- Asthma.
- Obesity.
- Type 1 diabetes.
- Severe lower respiratory disease.
- Acute otitis media (ear infections).
- Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).
- Gastrointestinal infections (diarrhea/vomiting).
- Necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) for preterm infants.
Benefits for Mothers
Breastfeeding can help lower a mother’s risk of:
- High blood pressure.
- Type 2 diabetes.
- Ovarian cancer.
- Breast cancer.
“This research helps us understand what might be happening in mothers with high weight status and inflammation, which down the road could lead to interventions or treatments that allow more moms that want to breastfeed to do so,” Gernand said in the release.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends breastfeeding exclusively for a baby’s first six months. Just 25% of mothers do so, citing job pressures and a lack of social support as obstacles.
Furthermore, only 74% of Black infants are ever breastfed, which is below the national average of 83%.
If you are able to breastfeed your child, it can reduce the likelihood of them becoming obese, according to a study:
- Gut bacteria: Breastfeeding supports the growth of healthy bacteria in a child’s digestive system, which plays a role in their metabolism and immune system.
- Self-regulation: Breastfed babies regulate the amount of breastmilk their parent produces (supply and demand) and the amount they consume at a feeding. Breastfed babies may learn early on about hunger and fullness cues.
- Later introduction to solids: Both shorter breastfeeding duration and introduction of solid foods before 5 months are associated with higher weight at 12 months.