Breastfeeding protects women against MS: 'Pregnancy state' blocks female sex hormones linked to the disease

  • Women who do develop the condition suffer far less severely if they breastfed 
  • It's believed the way breastfeeding influences sex hormones may explain the link
  • Women should breastfed for at least 15 months over their life to half the risk 
  • Some 100,000 people in the UK suffer with MS - with women being most at risk

Breastfeeding may protect women against developing multiple sclerosis, research suggests.

And women who do develop the condition suffer far less severely if they have breastfed their child, experts discovered.

Some 100,000 people in the UK suffer with MS - and the disease affects twice as many women as men.

People who are affected suffer loss of mobility, sight problems, tiredness and excruciating pain - and there are few effective treatments.

The new research, led by US researchers at Kaiser Permanente in Southern California, suggests women who breastfeed their children for a combined total of at least 15 months over their lifetime have half the chance of developing MS as those who breastfeed for less than four months or not at all.

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Breastfeeding may protect women against developing multiple sclerosis, research suggests 

Breastfeeding may protect women against developing multiple sclerosis, research suggests 

TOO EMBARRASSED TO BREAST FEED 

Mothers are giving up breastfeeding because they are too embarrassed, do not want to be tied down and fear babies aren’t getting enough milk.

Figures from more than 152,000 British women show that less than half – 45 per cent – still give their babies breast milk at two months.

The NHS recommends that babies are exclusively breastfed for the first six months and then given a combination of breast milk and food for a year.

Yet statistics released in March from the Government’s quarterly survey show only 30 per cent of babies aged six-to-eight weeks were solely given breast milk.

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Breastfeeding positively influences sex hormones  

Scientists believe the way breastfeeding influences female sex hormones may explain the link. 

After women give birth they often do not start ovulating again until they have stopped breastfeeding.

Women who bottle-feed their child with formula instead have an earlier return to their pre-pregnancy state of normal hormone levels - oestrogen levels which are depressed during pregnancy return to a high level and the body starts ovulating again, meaning they are biologically ready to have another baby.

While oestrogen is a natural hormone, essential for the normal functioning of the female body, high levels also increase the risk of certain conditions, including breast cancer, ovarian cancer and MS.

Women often do not start ovulating until they stop breastfeeding, which may be protective

Women often do not start ovulating until they stop breastfeeding, which may be protective

BREASTFEEDING REDUCES WOMEN'S RISK OF PAIN AFTER A C-SECTION BY THREE TIMES 

Breastfeeding reduces the discomfort of painful caesarean sections, research revealed last month.

Mothers who breastfeed for at least two months after a C-section are three times less likely to experience persistent pain than those who do so for a shorter period of time, the study from Our Lady of Valme hospital in Seville found.

Some 23 per cent of women who breastfeed for less than two months report pain at the site of their C-section versus just eight per cent who breastfeed for longer, the research adds.

Anxiety significantly increases a woman's risk of suffering discomfort after the operation, the study also revealed.

Caesarean sections make up around 25 per cent of all births in the UK and US. 

One in five mothers undergoing the procedure suffer pain that lasts beyond three months. 

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British breastfeeding rates among the lowest in the world 

The NHS suggests that women should feed their babies exclusively with breast milk until they are at least six months old, and then continue breastfeeding while gradually introducing other food.

Women are advised: ‘The longer you breastfeed, the longer the protection lasts and the greater the benefits.’

But most mothers in the UK abandon breast milk very early in their child’s life, turning instead to formula.

Only 34 per cent of British children are breastfed until six months, compared to 49 per cent in the US, 50 per cent in Germany and 62 per cent in Switzerland.

And only one in every 200 children in the UK - just 0.5 per cent - are breastfed until the age of 12 months, the lowest level in the world.

In comparison, 27 per cent of children in the US, 35 per cent in Norway, 44 per cent in New Zealand and 92 per cent in India are breastfed until they are one. 

Study leader Dr Annette Langer-Gould, whose work is published in the Neurology journal, said: ‘This is another example of a benefit to the mother from breastfeeding.

‘Other health benefits include a reduced risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart attack.’ 

The researchers found that women with MS have significantly fewer relapses, or attacks, during pregnancy or while they are breastfeeding.

How the study was carried out  

The study involved 397 women with an average age of 37 who were newly diagnosed with MS or its precursor, clinically isolated syndrome.

They were compared to 433 women matched for race and age. The women were given in-person questionnaires about pregnancies, breastfeeding, hormonal contraceptive use and other factors.

Women who had breastfed for a cumulative amount with one or more children for 15 months or more were 53 per cent less likely to develop MS or clinically isolated syndrome than women who had a total of zero to four months of breastfeeding.

Dr Langer-Gould said: ‘This study provides more evidence that women who are able to breastfeed their infants should be supported in doing so.

‘Among the many other benefits to the mother and the baby, breastfeeding may reduce the mother’s future risk of developing MS.’