Breast-feeding may protect mom's heart after menopause

Breast-feeding may protect mom's heart health after menopause. Fewer women who breastfed for more than a year had diabetes, hypertension later.

Among women who breast-feed for more than one year, the researchers estimate that 38.6 percent will develop high blood pressure, 12.3 percent high cholesterol and 9.1 percent cardiovascular disease. In comparison, 42.1 percent of women who don't breast-feed may develop high blood pressure, 14.8 percent high cholesterol, and 9.9 percent cardiovascular disease.

However, the study does have its weaknesses. For starters, the women were about 63 years old, which means they breast-fed a long time ago. A women's memory may not be all that accurate 30-plus years later. In addition, the study was not specifically designed to look at breast-feeding and heart disease risk; these results were part of a secondary analysis from another study.