DHAKA: Most new mothers know that breastfeeding is good for their babes. But a latest research shows it has lasting health benefits for mom as well.

Scientists report that among a group of 2,233 women, aged 40 to 78, those who breastfed their newborns, were half as likely to develop Type 2 diabetes 30 years later as were mothers who used formula.

Breastfeeding, say the study’s authors, may lower diabetes risk by helping new mothers shed their pregnancy pounds.

“We have to consider lactation as part of the pregnancy experience,” says the study’s lead author, Dr. Eleanor Schwarz of the University of Pittsburgh.

BDST:  1230 HRS, SEPT 14, 2010