General Health
Breastfeeding cuts risk of rheumatoid arthritis
By Sue Mueller
May 13, 2008 - 7:45:00 AM

TUESDAY MAY 13, 2008 (foodconsumer.org) -- Breastfeeding, but not using oral contraceptives, may help women prevent rheumatoid arthritis, according to a new study in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Disease.

The study led by M. Pikwer and colleagues from the Malmo University Hospital in Sweden showed women who breastfed for 13 months or more were 50 percent as likely to have rheumatoid arthritis as those who had never breastfed.

For the study, the researchers compared 136 women with rheumatoid arthritis with 544 women without.  Both groups of women were age-matched.

They found women who had one to 12 months of breastfeeding were 25 percent less likely to get the disease.

And taking oral contraceptives, which were suspected to protect against rheumatoid arthritis, did not have any protective effect against the disease, the study found.

Breastfeeding was known to be good for women because it probably reduces risk of breast cancer in addition to other benefits to women.