Dear Friends:
    I couldn't find the citation for this  article:
 
    (WebMD) The benefits of  breastfeeding for babies are well known, but 
there is growing evidence that  breastfeeding has a positive impact on a mom’s 
health as well. New research  shows that breastfeeding lowers a woman’s risk for 
rheumatoid arthritis. The  risk is cut in half among women who breastfeed for 
two years or more.  

Female sex hormones have long been thought to play a role in rheumatoid  
arthritis, which is diagnosed in women up to four times as often as in men.  
Rheumatoid arthritis often develops when hormone levels are changing, such as in  
the first few months after giving birth and around the time of menopause.  

Hormonal Changes Long Lasting 

In an effort to clarify the  relationship between reproductive hormones and 
rheumatoid arthritis, researchers  from Harvard’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital 
examined data from a large, ongoing  health study that has followed female 
nurses for almost three decades.  

After adjusting for known risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis, such as  age 
and smoking, the researchers found breastfeeding decreased the risk while  
irregular periods increased the risk. 

warmly,
Nikki Lee RN, MS, Mother of 2, IBCLC, CCE
Maternal-Child Adjunct  Faculty Union Institute and University
Film Reviews Editor, Journal of Human  Lactation
Support the WHO Code and the Mother-Friendly Childbirth  Initiative

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