A new study published in the specialist journal Rheumatology provides a new reason to breastfeed a baby: breastfeeding would reduce the risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic inflammatory rheumatism.
Rheumatoid arthritis is defined by Inserm as “a disease of the joints which is manifested by persistent inflammation”. It is due to a dysregulation of the immune system and most often appears between the ages of 40 and 60 in women. It occurs when painful joints swell and become deformed, especially in the hands, wrists and knees.
Researchers from international universities (University Hospitals in Birmingham, Guangzhou University in China and the University of Hong Kong) studied more than 7,000 Chinese women over the age of 50. One in 10 women suffered from arthritis. It appeared that those who had breastfed their children were half as affected by this joint disease. The longer the duration of breastfeeding, the lower the risk of developing this rheumatism.
“This is the first study to demonstrate a link between breastfeeding and a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis in the Chinese population, a population where breastfeeding is more common than in Western countries,” explain the researchers.
Rheumatoid arthritis is the most common inflammatory arthritis. In France, it is estimated that 200,000 people are affected.
Many studies have praised the benefits of breastfeeding on the health of the baby and the mother. While it prevents in particular the risk of allergies or respiratory infections in the baby, it would reduce the risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and fight against hypertension in the mother.
