New research suggests another reason women may want to breastfeed. The study shows breastfed infants have less cardiovascular risks later in life.
Previous research indicated breastfeeding reduced cardiovascular disease, but the studies all had major weaknesses. In a recent study which was done over a period of 20years , researchers included 216 teenagers who were randomly given breastmilk or formula during infancy in the early 1980s. The teens underwent cholesterol screenings to compare their good and bad cholesterol. Their C-reactive protein was also tested. Higher concentrations of CRP are associated with the development of atherosclerosis.Researchers say , based on their findings they observed that adolescents who were fed breast milk during infancy had a 14-percent lower ratio of LDL to HDL cholesterol and lower concentrations of CRP than adolescents who had been given formula during infancy.
Thus researchers say these findings suggest that infant nutrition permanently affects the lipoprotein profile later in life and that breast feeding has indeed a beneficial effect.
