It's been another great year in breastfeeding research, with more studies showing the many ways breastfeeding protects babies and mothers from a host of diseases and conditions.
The list below doesn't represent all the research on breastfeeding - not by a long shot - but it gives you sense of the studies that have been in the news.
So, here's my summary for 2008. You can also read my summaries of 2007 research and 2006 research.
Some good news:
- Breastfeeding initiation rates have hit a 20 year high.
- Breastfeeding helps you lose weight.
- Breastfeeding does not make your breasts sag.
- Breastfeeding reduces your risk of metabolic syndrome.
- Breastfeeding reduces you risk of rheumatoid arthritis by half.
- Breastfeeding protects babies from breast cancer as adults.
- Breastfeeding improves intelligence scores.
- Breastfeeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity.
- Breastfed kids have fewer behavioral problems.
- Breastfeeding reduces asthma risk.
- Breastfeeding provides better pain relief during procedures (like heel sticks) than sugar water.
Some bad news:
- Pediatricians are less likely to promote breastfeeding than they were 10 years ago.
- Only 8% of mothers deliver in hospitals that have policies making it 13 times less likely that we'll stop breastfeeding early.
- Obstetricians' textbooks contain poor information on breastfeeding.
- Nursing moms get bad advice from pharmacists.
Some hmmmm news:
- Men's prolactin levels rise when their partners are pregnant.
And finally, another pitch for the study I'm helping out with at the University of Massachusetts. Know a nursing mom who has recently had a biopsy or is expecting to have one? Please send her my way!
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