Breastfeeding stops gestational diabetes from progressing to type 2 diabetes, study reveals

A new study reveals additional benefits of breastfeeding. The results indicate that moms who breastfeed are less likely to develop type 2 diabetes.

Erica Gunderson and a group of researchers from Kaiser Permanente in Oakland, Calif. discovered that expectant women who had gestational diabetes mellitus were half as likely to develop type 2 diabetes if they breastfeed for at least two months or more. The results of the study have been published in the journal Annals of Internal Medicine.

In the report, Gunderson and her co-researchers wrote, "Women with a history of GDM are faced with an extremely high risk for type 2 diabetes; up to 50 percent diagnosed within 5 years after delivery. In our study, both higher lactation intensity and duration showed strong, graded protective associations with diabetes mellitus incidence, independent of risk factors."

According to a PR Newswire press release, breastfeeding has been recommended for mothers with high blood glucose levels but earlier studies have not been able to definitely show the effect of breastfeeding on preventing the development of type 2 diabetes.

"Both the level and duration of breastfeeding may offer unique benefits to women during the post-delivery period for protection against the development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes pregnancy."

Over 900 women who developed gestational diabetes during pregnancy were included in the study says Health Day. The women were divided into five categories: women who were exclusively breastfeeding, exclusively feeding milk formula, mostly breastfeeding, mostly providing milk formula and mothers who provided an equal mix of breast milk and milk formula.

Medpage Today adds that the candidates were a mix of white, black, Hispanic and Asian. Approximately 25 percent of the mothers included in the study were white.

For baseline levels, glucose tolerance tests were conducted approximately 6-9 weeks after giving birth. The researchers did a follow-up two years after and discovered that 12 percent of the candidates developed type 2 diabetes.

Results indicate that women who only provided breast milk were 54 percent less likely to develop type 2 diabetes. Compared to mothers who only provided milk formula, women who mostly used formula reduced their chances of developing diabetes by at least 30 percent.

Kaiser Permanente's researchers believe that breastfeeding encourages the body to use up the glucose and fat, moving them from the bloodstream to the breast area for milk production. Dr. Alison Stuebe from the University of North Carolina's School of Medicine believes that breastfeeding also normalizes the body's metabolism.

"These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing breastfeeding education and support for women with gestational diabetes as part of early diabetes prevention efforts by health care systems," Gunderson and her colleagues said on the report.