Does Breastfeeding Prevent Diabetes?

Breastfeeding a newborn holds many benefits for mommy and baby; it reduces the baby's risk for colds and viruses, it helps his bones (and yours) get nice and strong, and it offers plenty of time for the two of you to bond.

And now, new research indicates that there may be another benefit to breastfeeding: it protects mothers against type 2 diabetes.

A New Study

A team of researchers at the Helmholtz Zentrum München, a German research center, studied 200 women who had developed gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. The woman, who on average had given birth three and a half year earlier, were given a standardized glucose solution and provided a blood sample, which was then compared to 156 known metabolites.

"We observed that the metabolites in women who had breastfed for more than three months differed significantly from those who had had shorter lactation periods," reported first-author Dr. Daniela Much. "Longer periods of lactation are linked to a change in the production of phospholipids and to lower concentrations of branched-chain amino acids in the mothers' blood plasma."

Familiar Findings

Dr. Much and her team's research sounds a similar note to an earlier study from Helmholtz Zentrum München's Institute for Diabetes Research. The earlier study found that women who breastfed their babies for longer than three months were protected from developing type 2 diabetes, though they were unable to pinpoint why. Such a development is particularly poignant for new mothers – especially in Germany, where one in two women who suffer gestational diabetes will develop type 2 within 10 years.

The study points to breastfeeding as an effective (not to mention cost-effective) method to ward of type 2 diabetes for new mothers, which the IDF team hopes will lead to new treatment recommendations in the future. "On average, women with gestational diabetes breastfeed less often and for shorter duration than non-diabetic mothers," said Dr. Sandra Hummel, head of the Gestational Diabetes working group at the IDF. "The aim is now to develop strategies that will improve the breastfeeding behaviors of mothers with gestational diabetes."

Get a Free Diabetes Meal Plan

Get a free 7-Day Diabetes Meal Plan from Constance Brown-Riggs who is a Registered Dietitian-Certified Diabetes Educator and who is also a national spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association.

Just enter in your email below to download your free Diabetes Meal Plan.

By clicking Submit, you agree to send your info to BattleDiabetes.com who, in addition to 3rd party partners, may contact you with updates, products and information and we agree to use it according to our privacy policy and terms and conditions.

More Articles

More Articles

For decades people with type-1 and advanced type-2 diabetes relied on painful and often flawed insulin injections to regulate blood sugar...

Scientists have discovered that a single gene forms a common link between type 2 diabetes and...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Natural supplements like cinnamon extract and apple cider vinegar could hold the key to lowering blood sugar levels, according to a recent...

Could a person's risk for type 2 diabetes be written in their genes?

According to a study recently published in ...

Women who frequently shift around their sleeping hours could have worse metabolic health outcomes than their peers who stick with a...

The presence of the hormone leptin may hinder prenatal development, which could explain the origin of type 2 diabetes, according to...

An analysis of fossilized Native American feces shows that our ancestors ate up to sixteen times the fiber that we do today, but our...

Managing diabetes is hugely challenging for people of any age, but a new study suggests that young people may suffer all the more....

Disruptions to the gut’s ecosystem could be a future symptom facing young children who take antibiotics, which makes them more susceptible...

Fans of the Dexcom G5 Mobile have something to smile about.

At yesterday's hearing with the U.S. Food and Drug...

If you start your day with a cup of tea and end it with a glass of red wine, your blood sugar may thank you.

At least that...

As medical experts continue to debate whether or not "healthy obesity" can even exist, one new study suggests that risk for heart disease...

For years, type 1 diabetics have been anxiously waiting for that medical marvel that can stop the constant injections: the artificial...

“Low-fat” has been the battle cry of the health-conscious for over ‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌‌...