Breastfeeding Helps Combat Obesity, Diabetes, High Blood Pressure And Low IQ - New WHO Report

The long-term effects of breastfeeding were the focus of a new publication that has been published by the global health governing body, the World Health Organisation (WHO). The publication titled "Long-term effects of breastfeeding: a systemic review" is the product of a systematic review carried out by the WHO in 2007.

In a statement made available to HealthNewsNG.com, the global health body said the report reviews the effects of breastfeeding on blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, serum cholesterol, overweight and obesity, and intellectual performance.

"WHO carried out a systematic review and meta-analysis on the long-term consequences of breastfeeding. The Department of Maternal, Newborn, Child and Adolescent Health of the WHO has now commissioned an update of this review. The following long-term outcomes were reviewed: blood pressure, type-2 diabetes, serum cholesterol, overweight and obesity, and intellectual performance.

"These outcomes are of great interest to researchers, as made evident by the number of publications identified: 60 new publications were identified since 2006. This report describes the methods, results and conclusions of this updated review," WHO said.

According to the report, the meta-analyses of overweight/obesity, blood pressure, diabetes and intelligence suggest that benefits are larger for children and adolescents, and smallest among adults, suggesting a gradual dilution of the effect with time.

Click here to download the report.