According to a new study in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases that compared 136 women with rheumatoid arthritis to 544 without the condition, women who had breastfed for 13 months or more were half as likely to develop the disease as those who had never breastfed. The study also found that taking oral contraceptives did not have the same effect.
Experts said previous studies showed that "breastfeeding was a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis in a small group of women soon after giving birth to their first child."
Source: "Breast-feeding, but not oral contraceptives, is associated with a reduced risk of rheumatoid arthritis" Annals of Rheumatic Diseases. Published Online First: 13 May 2008. doi:10.1136/ard.2007.084707 (f/t via Athens)
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