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I hesitate to write this for fear of more hate mail, but here goes. There's a whole new angle emerging in the breast-feeding literature, as today's New York Times brings to light: Not only is breast-feeding best for babies, but it's best for mothers as well! The story highlights a study out of the University of Pittsburgh showing that mothers who breast-feed are at a lower risk of developing diabetes, high-blood pressure and cardiovascular disease decades later, when they are in menopause. The study's author, Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, offers this handy analysis:
Any breastfeeding was good, but more was better...Pregnancy without breastfeeding ups the risk of heart disease and stroke, but with breastfeeding a woman has the same risk she had before pregnancy. The more pregnancies you have, the more risk of heart disease you have. But if you breastfeed longer in each pregnancy you come out just fine.
Now this would be nifty if it were true. But this study is far, far from proving it. It has all the same flaws as most breastfeeding research, as I outlined in my recent Atlantic story. The study shows an association, not a causation. "Women who breast-feed may simply lead more healthful lives than those who do not." Indeed, mothers who breast-feed are much more likely to be white, educated, and older. The researchers guessed that maybe a decrease in belly fat helped explain the benefits. But other studies have shown that, contrary to popular belief, breast-feeding does not necessarily help you lose weight. Also, this should be obvious, but diabetes and heart disease are enormously complicated diseases, influenced by myriad factors. The idea that you should make a decision based on what might happen 30 years down the road seems ludicrous. Better to just stay reasonably healthy and hope for the best.