Breastfeeding May Reduce Alzheimer's Risk

[ruby412]

www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/08/06/breastfeeding-alzheimers_n_3713643.html

A 64% reduction in risk for breastfeeding for just a week. Wow!

If this is true, then thedahliharpa you must be sharp as a tack, lady!

A small but provocative new study suggests that breastfeeding a baby
may significantly reduce a woman's risk of developing Alzheimer's
disease decades later.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge found that women who
breastfed for at least one week had a 64 percent reduction in
Alzheimer's risk compared to women who did not breastfeed at all. The
study accounted for other possible lifestyle and socioeconomic factors,
like smoking, drinking and education.

The study, published online in the "Journal of Alzheimer's Disease"
on July 23, looked at the cumulative breastfeeding histories of 81
British women over age 70. Researchers interviewed family members as
well, to ensure they were getting accurate recall of the past.

According to the study, the longer a woman breastfed, the greater the benefits.

Based on the findings, if one were to compare two hypothetical women
who were identical in every way, but one breastfed for 12 months
throughout her life, while the other breastfed for four and a half
months, the woman who breastfed for a year would have a 22 percent lower
risk of developing Alzheimer's than the other.

But the findings, while intriguing, are highly preliminary.

"This was a pilot study, in a small group of women, from one region,
with one ethnic background. This question needs to be explored in other
populations, in other places," cautioned Molly Fox, a researcher with
the division of biological anthropology at the University of Cambridge
and an author on the new study. "What's important to recognize, however,
is that there does appear to be a relationship between breastfeeding
history and Alzheimer's risk that needs to be further explored."

One intriguing finding is that the ratio of time women spent
pregnant relative to the time they breastfed appeared to influence
outcomes: Women who spent more time breastfeeding compared to time
pregnant had a much lower risk of Alzheimer's.

However, the overall protective effects of breastfeeding disappeared
when researchers focused on the 20-odd women in the study who had a
parent or sibling with Alzheimer's.

It is unclear why breastfeeding might influence later cognitive
function, although the researchers have theories. One possibility is
that breastfeeding lowers the levels of progesterone in the body -- a
hormone that is very high during pregnancy, and that desensitizes the
brain's estrogen receptors. Earlier research suggests that estrogen
helps protect the brain against Alzheimer's.

"Breastfeeding affects women's bodies in so many different ways," Fox
said. "It has an impact on their ovarian hormones, their glucose
metabolism, their inflammatory response -- and at the moment, we don't
really know which of these pathways is the one that might be having an
effect on women's brains decades down the road."

The new study is among the very first to look at the possible link
between breastfeeding and cognitive issues specifically, but it joins a
growing body of research emphasizing the health benefits of nursing for
women, not just their babies. Breastfeeding has been linked to lower
risk of type 2 diabetes, breast and ovarian cancer and postpartum
depression.

Fox stressed that the researchers were limited in their ability to
control for all outside factors that might account for the link between
breastfeeding and lower risk of Alzheimer's -- a disease that affects
5.2 million Americans -- in part because researchers simply do not know
all of the factors that contribute to the disease's development.

"So much medical research focuses on the genetic risk factors for
Alzheimer's," she said. "But women's reproductive histories may also be
an important influence."

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that women breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and a year or beyond while supplementing with food.

[SteelCity44]

While fascinating, I'm curious what sparked the study and what other studies they've done that were bunk.

[thedahliharpa]

Wow! Too bad it isn't tied to life expectancy. I would live FOREVER and Dorothy Zbornak and I would truly make our Golden Girls dreams come true.

It is strange though because when I'm nursing, I'm perpetually cloudy. Good to know the brain cell deficit is only temporary.

[Deleted]

Hmm interesting. I have no clue how those would be related though but then again I know nothing about biology.

[kdrake8]

That's awesome especially since I've read the rate of Alzheimer's is much higher in teachers. Maybe it will balance out??

[rjamz]

It's interesting, but that last part is the most important - they can't control for other factors that may lead to or protect against Alzheimer's bc they don't know all of them. These studies bug me bc the big news outlets will take this small study and blow it up into the headline "Breastfeed or You'll Get Alzheimer's Tomorrow!"

[creamsiclechica]

Aug 8, 2013 14:05:32 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Wow! Too bad it isn't tied to life expectancy. I would live FOREVER and Dorothy Zbornak and I would truly make our Golden Girls dreams come true.

It is strange though because when I'm nursing, I'm perpetually cloudy. Good to know the brain cell deficit is only temporary.

If it were, I'd have to join you because if I make it to age two with Carter like I am hoping to, I'll have a sweet almost fout year streak going of BF.

I'll be Blanche, lol.

[laurack]

Hmmm. From the statistical study of one that I have carried out, my findings show giving birth and breastfeeding cause a 72% reduction in brain cell activity.

[rjamz]

Aug 8, 2013 14:36:56 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Aug 8, 2013 14:24:40 GMT -5 rjamz said:

It's interesting, but that last part is the most important - they can't control for other factors that may lead to or protect against Alzheimer's bc they don't know all of them. These studies bug me bc the big news outlets will take this small study and blow it up into the headline "Breastfeed or You'll Get Alzheimer's Tomorrow!"

Also, the study is extremely small and (I think we've talked about this here before) studies based on interviews conducted after the fact leave me feeling skeptical anyway. If you take out the 20 people who had a family history of Alzheimer's, for whom a protective effect was not demonstrated, that leaves 61 people. When they say all other factors being equal between two women, the one who breastfed has lower risk of Alzheimer's, I feel like they really must have had literally TWO subjects where all other discernible factors were equal. lol.

That said, I'm sure it is interesting for people in the field and will inspire further study. But even if a link is found, what will it mean for the real world? More ammo in the bf vs ff fight? Obviously I am not comfortable with that. I realize there are places in the world where drinking water and formula are inadequate, and therefore the lack of info and support for breastfeeding is a serious health concern. But I wish we in this country heard more about how we can help improve both conditions and education in those places and less about how we here should all be breastfeeding our kids for 6 mo. to a year because it might provide some small benefits.

Agree completely.

Sent from my SPH-D710 using proboards

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Aug 8, 2013 14:05:32 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Wow! Too bad it isn't tied to life expectancy. I would live FOREVER and Dorothy Zbornak and I would truly make our Golden Girls dreams come true.

It is strange though because when I'm nursing, I'm perpetually cloudy. Good to know the brain cell deficit is only temporary.

Ha. Yeah, I feel like breastfeeding makes me dumb as shit. Like he's actually drinking my brain cells.

[Dorothy Zbornak]

Aug 8, 2013 14:33:54 GMT -5 creamsiclechica said:

Aug 8, 2013 14:05:32 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Wow! Too bad it isn't tied to life expectancy. I would live FOREVER and Dorothy Zbornak and I would truly make our Golden Girls dreams come true.

It is strange though because when I'm nursing, I'm perpetually cloudy. Good to know the brain cell deficit is only temporary.

If it were, I'd have to join you because if I make it to age two with Carter like I am hoping to, I'll have a sweet almost fout year streak going of BF.

I'll be Blanche, lol.

Dahli, you get Sophia or Rose.

[spaghetticat]

Aug 8, 2013 14:14:36 GMT -5 kdrake8 said:

That's awesome especially since I've read the rate of Alzheimer's is much higher in teachers. Maybe it will balance out??

Wow really?

Ruby made me excited and then this took it back down.

Eta: never mind. It says breastfeeding doesn't help if you have a parent or sibling with it. So I'm doomed.

[ruby412]

Aug 8, 2013 15:16:39 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Cat owners have higher rates of schizophrenia. We all have our problems.

That has got to be correlation not causation!! And also, lol!

[TrudyCampbell]

Aug 8, 2013 15:16:39 GMT -5 @tambcat said:

Cat owners have higher rates of schizophrenia. We all have our problems.

I think this is a chicken or the egg argument, lol

[claralou]

Aug 8, 2013 15:14:47 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Aug 8, 2013 14:33:54 GMT -5 creamsiclechica said:

If it were, I'd have to join you because if I make it to age two with Carter like I am hoping to, I'll have a sweet almost fout year streak going of BF.

I'll be Blanche, lol.

Dahli, you get Sophia or Rose.

Hang on now. Since this quite obviously cancels out the decade I spent drinking heavily and smoking, then I'm not only SAVED, but creamsiclechica has some competition in the running for Blanche.

[thedahliharpa]

Aug 8, 2013 15:13:49 GMT -5 Dorothy Zbornak said:

Aug 8, 2013 14:05:32 GMT -5 thedahliharpa said:

Wow! Too bad it isn't tied to life expectancy. I would live FOREVER and Dorothy Zbornak and I would truly make our Golden Girls dreams come true.

It is strange though because when I'm nursing, I'm perpetually cloudy. Good to know the brain cell deficit is only temporary.

Ha. Yeah, I feel like breastfeeding makes me dumb as shit. Like he's actually drinking my brain cells.

That's my excuse and I'm sticking with it.

[charlielove]

Dahli is definitely more of a Sophia.

BFing makes me dumb as a brick.