Breastfeeding provides numerous benefits to babies, including
preventing many illnesses. Often overlooked is the benefit moms
get from breastfeeding their babies. Now for the first time, a
study published yesterday found that women who followed AICR’s
recommendation for breastfeeding reduced their risk of premature
death from all diseases. The study, featured in Cancer Research
Update, found that mothers who breastfed their babies for at
least six months had a 17 percent reduced risk for early death
compared to women who did not breastfeed at all. Even those who
breastfed for a shorter duration had about a 13 percent lower
risk for early death. Breastfeeding linked to lower risk for
early death from both cancer and cardiovascular disease. We’ve
known, from AICR’s expert report and its updates, that lactation
reduces breast cancer risk for mom, but this evidence shows it
can also help prevent early death. Although the researchers in
this study did not discuss why breastfeeding may lower death
risk, we do have