From "American Family Physician", February 1, 2005 (Vol. 1, number 3): Breastfeeding may help fend off joint pain, according to a recent study published in "Arthritis and Rheumatism." The study, which examined the health of over 120,000 womaen since 1976, found that those who breastfed for 13 to 23 months were only one fifth as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis as those who had not breastfed. Those who breastfed for at least two years cut their arthritis risk in half. Researchers say that the lower risk may be attributed to production of prolactin, a hormone that spikes when a woman is nursing. Jen M., LLLLA *********************************************** To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or digest) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet All commands go to [log in to unmask] The LACTNET mailing list is powered by L-Soft's renowned LISTSERV(R) list management software together with L-Soft's LSMTP(R) mailer for lightning fast mail delivery. For more information, go to: http://www.lsoft.com/LISTSERV-powered.html