International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics

Mothers who choose not to breastfeed are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes later in life.

Breastfeeding helps new mothers shift some of the fat which remains around the abdomen post-pregnancy - one of the factors behind the condition - according to researchers from the US University of Pittsburgh.

They believe the reduction in the number of mothers who breastfeed in the western world may explain the high levels of type 2 diabetes among middle-aged women.

Lead researcher Dr Eleanor Schwarz from the university said: "Diet and exercise are widely known to impact the risk of type 2 diabetes.

"But few people realise that breastfeeding also reduces mothers' risk of developing the disease in later life by decreasing maternal belly fat."

Some 2,333 women aged between 40 and 78 were examined in the study which was published in the American Journal of Medicine.

The scientists found a quarter of the mothers who did not breastfeed developed the condition.

They were twice as likely to have type 2 diabetes as women who breastfed or those who did not have children.

Recently, a study revealed mothers who put on too much weight during pregnancy increased their risk of developing diabetes by 40 per cent.

Posted by Paul Robertson