Mothers who raise their children by non-breastfeeding means have a much higher risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life than mothers who breastfeed, University of Pittsburgh researchers said in a study published in the September issue of the American Journal of Medicine. Dr. Eleanor Bimla Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh, who is also an assistant professor of medicine, epidemiology and obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive medicine, said: We have witnessed a widespread epidemic of type 2 diabetes in the last century, and diet and exercise are important determinants of the risk of type 2 diabetes, but few people recognize that breastfeeding, by reducing a mother’s abdominal fat, also reduces the risk of developing diabetes in the second half of life. risk of diabetes. The study included 2,233 women between the ages of 40 and 78, of whom 56% of mothers reported that they had breastfed an infant for at least one month. 27% of mothers who had not breastfed developed type 2 diabetes, almost twice the incidence of those who breastfed or had not given birth. As a control, mothers who breastfed all their children had no higher incidence of type 2 diabetes than those who had never given birth. Long-term differences remained significant even after accounting for age, race, physical activity, and tobacco and alcohol. Our study provides women with a good reason to encourage them to breastfeed their children, at least for the first month after birth. Clinical staff need to take into account a woman’s history of pregnancy and breastfeeding when advising her on the risk of type 2 diabetes.