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Breast-feeding may lower risk for diabetes after gestational diabetes
A woman’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes may be reduced with consistent and continuous breast-feeding for at least 2 months from the time of giving birth, according to recent study findings published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.
“Both the level and duration of breast-feeding may offer unique benefits to women during the postdelivery period for protection against development of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes pregnancy,” Erica P. Gunderson, PhD, MPH, MS, epidemiologist and senior research scientist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research, said in a press release.
Erica P. Gunderson
Gunderson and colleagues evaluated data from the SWIFT study on 1,035 women diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy to determine the effect of breast-feeding on the 2-year incidence of type 2 diabetes.
All participants underwent oral glucose tolerance testing 6 to 9 weeks after delivery and at 1 and 2 years postdelivery in those without diabetes at baseline.
During the 2-year follow-up, 959 women were evaluated, and 11.8% developed diabetes — 59 of 862 (6.8%) at 1 year and 54 of 782 (6.9%) at 2 years. Participants who exclusively breast-fed had fewer cases of diabetes per 1,000 person-months compared with those who used formula exclusively at 6 to 9 weeks after delivery (3.95 vs. 8.79; P for trend = .004). Breast-feeding frequency and duration correlated to graded reduced incidence.
“These findings highlight the importance of prioritizing breast-feeding education and support for women with gestational diabetes as part of early diabetes prevention efforts by health care systems,” Gunderson said. – by Amber Cox
Disclosure: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development provided the primary funding for the study. Gunderson reports receiving grants from the American Diabetes Association, Kaiser Permanente Community Benefit Program, National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health National Center for Research Resources and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Please see the full study for a list of all other authors’ relevant financial disclosures.