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US researchers conclude that the benefits of breastfeeding for a long time are not limited to children but also to mothers. They have a lower risk of liver disease. How?
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – Mothers who breastfeed their baby for six months or more may have less fat in the liver and a lower risk of liver disease, according to a recent US study.
Researchers have linked long-term breastfeeding with women's health benefits, including reduced risk of heart disease, diabetes and some cancers. The current study aims to determine whether breastfeeding is associated with a reduction in the risk of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, usually associated with obesity and certain eating habits.
The researchers followed 844 women for 25 years after the birth of their children. Overall, 32% reported breastfeeding for one month, and 25% reported breastfeeding normally for a period of one to six months and 43% indicated that they would breastfeed their children longer.
The researchers said in the Journal of Hematology that these women were on average 49 years old at the end of the study. Fifty-five or fifty-six percent of the women were infected with non-alcoholic fatty liver.
Women who breastfed their children are at least six months less likely to have liver disease than 52% of mothers who breastfed their children for less than a month.
"This new analysis contributes to the growing evidence that breastfeeding naturally represents a significant benefit to the health of the mother," said Dr. Viral Agmera of the University of California at San Diego.
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