Breastfeeding Helps Your Heart

A large study found that women who breastfed for a lifetime total of at least two years had 19 percent fewer heart attacks later in life.

A large study found that women who breastfed for a lifetime total of at least two years had 19 percent fewer heart attacks later in life than mothers who had never breastfed. The likely reason: By turning fat that's put on during pregnancy into nutrients for the infant, breastfeeding lowers a mother's weight, cholesterol and blood pressure. Study author Alison Stuebe, M.D., at Harvard Medical School, advises women to feed their babies breast milk exclusively for the first six months and then continue nursing for at least six months longer.