A few decades ago, most babies drank artificial milk. This made that just when science advanced breast milk was a great unknown and not until now, at present, when we are discovering what it does in the body of babies and what it does in that of mothers who breastfeed.
We know that, among other things, breastfeeding reduces the risk of breast cancer, or what is the same, that not breastfeeding increases the risk of suffering from it, and now we know another effect: breastfeeding may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease in mothers.
Study Data
To reach this conclusion, researchers from the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom have conducted a study that has been published in the journal "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease", in which they also comment that the longer breastfeeding is prolonged, the lower the risk of suffering from the disease.
The study was done with 81 women with Alzheimer's disease and 81 women who do not (Alzheimer's), a very small sample, actually, and made them see that breastfeeding helps women who had lost insulin tolerance to restore it.
However, when women had a history of dementia in the family, the effect was less, that is, the risk was reduced in a less accentuated manner.
The researchers are happy to find new lines of research that help them understand what are the factors that make a person susceptible to Alzheimer's disease, which is the most common cognitive disorder in the world, which affects 35.6 millions of people, and happy also because breastfeeding is increasingly the food of babies, being a massive preventive measure and no cost.
How do you explain?
The way in which breastfeeding a baby reduces the risk of Alzheimer's disease is unknown. Researchers think it may be because of the deprivation of the hormone progesterone during breastfeeding, known for losing the sensitivity of estrogen receptors in the brain, and which may also be due to the Increased glucose tolerance through the restoration of insulin sensitivity, because in Alzheimer's there is an insulin resistance in the brain.
Be that as it may, hopefully this new avenue of research will be expanded with new studies that raise awareness in society, including health workers, that The most recommended for babies and mothers is breastfeeding and that everyone who forms the environment must support and help mothers so they can do so without criticism, without interference and with the respect they deserve.
