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You may be familiar with the fact that when designing breastfeeding Mother Nature incorporated a number of properties that would have immediate positive effects on an infant’s health.

But two recent meta-analyses (research about available research) found that she included features in mother’s milk that would go the distance of a nursling’s lifespan and she didn’t forget Mom’s health in her strategic planning!

Breastfeeding continues to exert positive health advantages in both mother and her former breastfed child for years – and years – after that former breastfeeder weans.

The World Health Organization (WHO) conducted a meta-analysis of breastfeeding-related studies, which looked at blood pressure, cholesterol, overweight and obesity, and intellectual performance. The results were published in an October 2007 report.

Former breastfeeders were found to have lower blood pressure and serum cholesterol, performed better on intelligence tests, and developed less overweight/obesity and type-2 diabetes.

In another report published in late October 2007 by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute of Cancer Research, an expert panel recommended women breastfeed their children due to “convincing” evidence that lactation is protective against both pre- and post-menopausal breast cancer. Other findings noted some limited supportive evidence that lactation may be a protective factor in several other cancers, including ovarian, other reproductive tract and a few abdominal organ cancers.

The experts also noted that because overweight, obesity and weight gain are contributing factors for several types of cancers, they recommend infants be breastfed, since breastfeeding is associated with a lowered risk of obesity.

Bottom line – the panel included Special Recommendation 1: Breastfeeding – “mothers to breastfeed; children to be breastfed” (exclusively for six months and with complementary foods afterward).

Thanks, Mother Nature – for giving us a wonderful way to feed and nurture our babies and for being the original model of multi-tasking!