Breastfeeding benefits both mothers and children

Recent research has added to evidence that breastfeeding is beneficial to both mothers and babies.

A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, a peer-reviewed journal published monthly by the American Medical Association, on Jan 16 showed that breastfeeding can reduce the risk of diabetes among young mothers.

The 30-year-long community-based study carried out by Kaiser Permanente, a managed care organization in the United States, suggested that women who breastfed for six months or more across all births had a 47 percent lower risk of developing Type 2 diabetes compared with those who did not breastfeed at all.