Breastfeeding is associated with lower subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the association between a personal history of lactation and indices of subclinical atherosclerosis in postmenopausal women.Methods: We evaluated the association between a history of breastfeeding and indices of subclinical atherosclerosis (pulse wave velocity, PWV; intima-media thickness [IMT]; atherosclerotic plaque presence) in 197 parous postmenopausal women with history of breastfeeding.Results: Women who reported breastfeeding ≥6 months when compared with women who reported breastfeeding for 1–5 months exhibited significantly lower values of common carotid artery IMT (Model R2=15.7%, b-coefficient = −0.170, 95% CI: −0.208—0.001, p-value = .019) and lower odds of subclinical atherosclerosis (Model X2=28.127, OR = 0.491, 95% CI 0.318–0.999, p-value = .049), adjusting for traditional cardiovascular risk factors.Conclusions: Postmenopausal women with a history of breastfeeding for at least 6 months have a lower prevalence of subclinical atherosclerosis, independently of traditional cardiovascular risk factors. A longer duration of breastfeeding may have a beneficial effect on subclinical atherosclerosis later in life.