Breastfeeding your baby for six months will 'keep you slim in later life'
Mothers who breastfeed their babies reduce their risk of becoming obese when they get older, research has shown.
A study of 740,000 post-menopausal women found that the more children a woman had, the heavier she was likely to be in later life.
But average Body Mass Index (BMI) was lower in women who had breastfed - irrespective of how many times they had given birth.
Every six-month period of breastfeeding reduced a woman's long-term BMI - a standard measurement relating weight to height - by one per cent, according to the findings published in the International Journal of Obesity.
This was after taking account of factors known to influence obesity risk, including smoking, exercise levels, and social deprivation.
Professor Dame Valerie Beral, director of the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University and a member of the study team, said: 'Our research suggests that just six months of breastfeeding by women could reduce their risk of obesity in later life.
'We already know breastfeeding is best for babies, and this study adds to a growing body of evidence that the benefits extend to the mother as well - even 30 years after she's given birth.
'Pregnant women should be made aware of these benefits to help them make an informed choice about infant feeding.'
3 comments:
Breast feeding for six months... definitely not for career women.
Why is the breast feeding model not a black woman...is it bcos they think it's "Milo" that comes out from a black woman's breast??!!!...Racism is effery wia sha
It does not matter if the model is black or yellow...what matters is the message that is been passed across.
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