Lactation may lower risk of stroke among women, finds JAMA study

China: Lactation was significantly associated with a lower risk of stroke, especially ischemic stroke, emphasizing the importance of promoting breastfeeding as a targeted prevention strategy of stroke, says an article published in the Journal of American Medical Association.

Previous research has found a link between breastfeeding and a lower risk of cardiovascular disease. Distinct pathogenic mechanisms produce different stroke subtypes; however, the connections of breastfeeding length with different stroke subtypes are less well established. As a result, Ziyang Ren and colleagues undertook this study to investigate the correlations of breastfeeding length with stroke and its subtypes in parous postmenopausal women. 

At the outset of this population-based prospective cohort research, parous postmenopausal women aged 45 to 79 years old were included in the China Kadoorie Biobank (CKB) project (2004-2008). Lactation length was calculated as a lifetime average, per kid, and for the first child. During the follow-up period, new-onset stroke and its subtypes (ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage [ICH], and subarachnoid hemorrhage [SAH]) were examined using illness registries and national health insurance claim databases (2008-2015). From June to December 2021, data were evaluated. Women with a lifetime lactation duration, mean per child, and for the first child were included. Total stroke, ischemic stroke, ICH, and SAH were the primary outcomes. The adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) with 95 percent CIs for stroke and subtypes were calculated using multivariable Cox regression.