Subscribe now

Life

Mothers get heart risk off their chest

14 February 2007

Breastfeeding is well known to boost an infant’s health, and now it seems it may be good for the mother as well.

In a study of 96,648 nurses who gave birth between 1986 and 2002, those who had spend at least two years of their lives breastfeeding were 19 per cent less likely to suffer a heart attack than those who hadn’t breastfed at all. The difference was independent of any of the usual risk factors for heart disease, such as family history, diet or exercise levels.

One possible explanation, says study leader Alison Steube of Harvard Medical School,…

Sign up to our weekly newsletter

Receive a weekly dose of discovery in your inbox. We'll also keep you up to date with New Scientist events and special offers.

Sign up

To continue reading, subscribe today with our introductory offers

Popular articles

Trending New Scientist articles

Piano Exit Overlay Banner Mobile Piano Exit Overlay Banner Desktop