Yes, breastfeeding your baby today might keep
you from a hip fracture when you're 70! Think of it as your child helping you
out in your old age. Following is a review of an Australian study on osteoporosis
and breastfeeding. Following that are references to medical studies on the topic.
Osteoporosis and the protective effects
of past breastfeeding experience
as reported in 'The Compleat Mother', Spring 1996
"This condition of
reduced bone mass predisposes to fractures, particularly of the upper thigh and spine,
even under little stress. Dietary factors that can affect the risk of osteoporosis are
calcium, vitamin D, salt, alcohol, animal protein and caffeine. It is postulated
that adequate calcium intake during growth and until the mid-twenties, when peak bone mass
is achieved, reduces risk of osteoporosis, and an an adequate intake in later life allows
for the increased rate of bone loss and less effective assimilation from the diet; the
role of dietary calcium in the treatment of osteoporosis is still uncertain."
"Bone density decreases in life in both sexes, but
post-menopausal women are at the greatest risk of developing osteoporosis, because
estrogens protect against bone loss. A 1990-91 study of Sydney women aged 65 years
and over suggested that breastfeeding protected against hip fracture in old age, with a
dose-response relationship between average duration of breastfeeding per child and risk
of hip fracture. It is estimated that 20-25 per cent of women, by the age of 70
years, will have undergone hospitalization for bone fractures resulting from osteoporosis,
and that 16 per cent of those with hip fractures will die within six months."
References
Royal Australian College of Physicians Working Party on
osteoporosis.
"Osteoporosis: its causes, prevention and treatment."
Mod Med Aust 1991; Aug:3 7-41 .
Cumming RG, Klineberg RI.
"Breastfeeding and other reproductive factors and
the risk of hip fractures in elderly women."
Inr J Epidemiol 1993;22 684-691.
Blaauw, R. et al.
"Risk factors for development of osteoporosis in a South African population."
SAMJ 1994; 84:328-32.
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