Breastfeeding Lowers Women's Risk of Stroke, Study Says

Nursing can be quite a journey. For some it’s easy and life-affirming. For others, it’s a struggle with rich rewards. It can inspire joy, frustration, anxiety and some of the best mom-jokes around. But at the end of the day, we know breastfeeding is good for babies. Now, we can add another new benefit to the list.

A new study from the Journal of the American Heart Association says that breastfeeding a child may actually reduce the chances of having a stroke later in life.

The study includes the dire news that stroke is the fourth leading cause of death among women aged 65 and older, with the stats even worse for Hispanic and black women. But when they looked at data regarding breastfeeding women, they found that the stroke risk in women who nursed was, on average, 23 percent lower across the board. It was 48 percent lower in black women and 32 percent lower in Hispanic women.

The longer women breastfeed, the greater the benefits, says the study, which looked at 80,191 women over the course of five years. They tracked the medical histories and health habits of postmenopausal women between 1993 and 1998, all of who had delivered at least one child. Fifty-eight percent of the women had breastfed for six months.

"If you are pregnant, please consider breastfeeding as part of your birthing plan and continue to breastfeed for at least six months to receive the optimal benefits for you and your infant,” says Lisette T. Jacobson, author of the study and assistant professor of preventive medicine and public health at KU School of Medicine Wichita.

“We need to increase public awareness of breastfeeding and maternal outcomes later in life in general," Jacobson told ABC News, “but especially for those populations—non-Hispanic black and Hispanic Americans—who face a larger health burden from stroke.”

Of course, if you can’t breastfeed, there are other ways to help protect yourself against having a stroke. Exercise, eating healthy food, not smoking and keeping your blood pressure, cholesterol levels and blood sugar under control all contribute. But if you can, nurse—it’s a win-win scenario for baby and your own health.

Please note: The Bump and the materials and information it contains are not intended to, and do not constitute, medical or other health advice or diagnosis and should not be used as such. You should always consult with a qualified physician or health professional about your specific circumstances.