Study: Year of Breastfeeding Appears to Protect Against Rheumatoid Arthritis

Breastfeeding for more than 12 months appears to protect women against rheumatoid arthritis, according to researchers at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts.

Female reproductive hormones are thought to play a role in the disease process of rheumatoid arthritis. Previous studies have suggested a link between pregnancy, breastfeeding, use of hormones and the risk of rheumatoid arthritis. and two small studies suggested an increased incidence of rheumatoid arthritis related to breastfeeding.

But in this study, researchers analyzed female reproductive and hormonal risk factors for rheumatoid arthritis in the Nurses' Health Study made up of a group of 121,710 women. Rheumatoid arthritis was found in 593 of these women. Eighty-two percent of these cases tested positive for rheumatoid factor.

A lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis appeared strongly linked with increased duration of breastfeeding compared to women who never breastfed. Women having no children had a small increased risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis.

Age at the start of menstruation, number of children, age at first birth, oral contraceptive use, irregular menstrual cycles, age at menopause and postmenopausal hormone use were not associated with an increased risk of rheumatoid arthritis according to the report presented at the annual meeting of the American College of Rheumatology in New Orleans.

Other sources: American College of Rheumatology