Breast-feeding is not only good for babies, there is growing evidence it may also reduce the risk for stroke in postmenopausal women who reported breast-feeding at least one child, according to new research in Journal of the American Heart Association, the Open Access Journal of the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association.

Stroke is the fourth-leading cause of death among women aged 65 and older, and is the third-leading cause of death among Hispanic and black women aged 65 and older, according to the study.

“Some studies have reported that breast-feeding may reduce the rates of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, and risk of developing type 2 diabetes in mothers. Recent findings point to the benefits of breast-feeding on heart disease and other specific cardiovascular risk factors,” said Lisette T. Jacobson, PhD, MPA, MA, lead author of the study and assistant professor in the department of preventive medicine and public health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita.

This is among the first studies to examine breast-feeding and a possible relationship to stroke risk for mothers, as well as how such a relationship might vary by ethnicity.

Researchers analyzed data on 80,191 participants in the Women’s Health Initiative observational study, a large ongoing national study that has tracked the medical events and health habits of postmenopausal women who were recruited between 1993 and 1998. All women in this analysis had delivered one or more children and 58% reported ever having breast-fed. Among these women, 51% breast-fed for 1 to 6 months, 22% for 7 to 12 months, and 27% for 13 or more months. At the time of recruitment, the average age was 63.7 years and the follow-up period was 12.6 years.

After adjusting for non-modifiable stroke risk factors (such as age and family history), researchers found stroke risk among women who breast-fed their babies was on average:

•23% lower in all women,
•48% lower in black women,
•32% lower in Hispanic women,
•21% lower in white women, and
•19% lower in women who had breast-fed for up to 6 months. A longer reported length of breast-feeding was associated with a greater reduction in risk.

“If you are pregnant, please consider breast-feeding as part of your birthing plan and continue to breast-feed for at least 6 months to receive the optimal benefits for you and your infant,” Jacobson said.

“Our study did not address whether racial/ethnic differences in breast-feeding contribute to disparities in stroke risk. Additional research should consider the degree to which breast-feeding might alter racial/ethnic differences in stroke risk,” Jacobson said.

Because the study was observational, it couldn’t establish a cause-and-effect relationship between breast-feeding and lower stroke risk, meaning that it is possible some other characteristic that distinguishes between women who breast-feed and those who don’t is the factor changing the stroke risk. However, because the Women’s Health Initiative is large, researchers were able to adjust for many characteristics, and the effects of breast-feeding remained strong, Jacobson said.

“Breast-feeding is only one of many factors that could potentially protect against stroke. Others include getting adequate exercise, choosing healthy foods, not smoking, and seeking treatment, if needed, to keep your blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar in the normal range,” Jacobson said.