IS THERE A LINK BETWEEN BREAST FEEDING OR NOT AND DEV RA??

kezzo1

Breastfeeding could reduce rheumatoid arthritis (RA) risks, a new study has shown.

Researchers from Malmo University Hospital in Sweden published their findings in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

The trial involved 136 women with RA and 544 women of a similar age without the disease.

It was discovered that those who breastfed for the longest were much less likely to suffer from RA later in life.

In fact, women who breastfed for more than 13 months were around 50 per cent less likely to get rheumatoid arthritis when compared to those who had never breastfed their children. People who breastfed for less than one year were still 25 per cent less likely to suffer from RA.

The report added that simply having a baby, but not breastfeeding, did not seem to reduce the risk of RA.

They pointed out that the research provided another reason for women to breastfeed their offspring.

Professor Alan Silman, medical director of the Arthritis Research Campaign, said the new research was extremely interesting, particularly as previous work had shown quite different results.

"In the past we have shown that breast feeding was a risk factor for developing rheumatoid arthritis in a small group of women soon after giving birth to their first child.

"This is slightly different in that it is looks at longer-term risk. One explanation could be that women who breastfeed may lead healthier lifestyles than women who don't, but we don't know the mechanisms that would explain this fully, and not enough work as been done in this area."

kezzo1

i also would like to add that after giving birth to my first and only child i did NOT develop breast milk either leading up to or after my baby was born i am now starting to wounder if there has at all contributed to my development or on set of arthritis. i would love to hear of other circumstances realating to this, and would also like to know why no further research was ever done in this field!!! we could have found a link here?! well for it coming on after child birth anyway. :?

katekelly

I breast fed all 3 of my girls!!! First 2 before Arthur and 3rd after Arthur. In total I fed in excess of 18 months. Good thing they didn't ask me the questions!!!

purvesrosie

i breast fed both my boys one before onset of RA and one after. when i was giving up breastfeeding my youngest at three months to start methotrexate i ask HV for advice. she gave me load of bumf about breatfeeding reducing chances of getting RA. she said i shouldn't give up. I aldready had RA so so didn't get her point.

weetabix

kezzo1 wrote:

i also would like to add that after giving birth to my first and only child i did NOT develop breast milk either leading up to or after my baby was born i am now starting to wounder if there has at all contributed to my development or on set of arthritis. i would love to hear of other circumstances realating to this, and would also like to know why no further research was ever done in this field!!! we could have found a link here?! well for it coming on after child birth anyway. :?

My Arthritis came on after the birth of my second daughter. I had tried for two days to breast feed but it didn't work out three months later i have RA that was over 30 years ago now and i am very badly affected in both hands and feet knees elbows aand shoulders. and neck . i have sort of grown up with it if you like. i am 53 in feb and i started to suffer when i was 21.
i would love to do things that my friends do . one friend has horses one friend swims and the other goes to the gym and cycles. i can't do any of them things. but i can dream for no pain and if that day ever comes i will try at least one of those.. yes i know dreaming again..

happy new year to all

oneday

probably just another way to get women to feed babies themselves or a ploy so government doesnt have to give out free powdered milk etc etc.....it always gets me when they say its best,surely it depends on what the women is eating!!..if she eats a load of rubbish then the breast milk cant be much good. i do know though that having children does trigger off all sorts of things, apart from posts above about arthur. i know someone who started with epiliepsy after birth for example. i think these studies can be made to show anything....thats why there are confliciting studies.

I think its an individual decision like everything else in life, you do whats right at the time for your own circumstances...plus some people are susceptible to illnesses more than others as its in their genes and it doesnt matter what they do or dont do....

oneday

on a vaguely similiar sort of subject, whilst reading up about this new hpv vaccine i came across information that says if a woman has this vaccine when already sexually active it increases risk of precancerous lesions by 44 per cent, they dont say this in leaflets do they, and this is in the drug companies documentation...food for thought.

slummymummy

I breastfed both my boys until they were 5 months old. I was diagnosed with RA when my youngest was 18 months old. I suspect that I may have got RA immediately after he was born, as I remember feeling terrible for days. I had 2 c-sections (first one was an emergency, second one was planned).

What I now worry about, regarding breastfeeding, was whether my rheumatoid antibodies were passed onto my youngest in my breastmilk. They say that breastfeeding boost the babies immune system because maternal anitbodies are passed to the baby. Would our bad autoantibodies go through the milk too???? If so, would they cause harm to the babies developing joints??? Does anybody know? I think this is a very important question, because if it was found that they were passed on in breastmilk, then this would completely reverse the advice that midwives seem to give all of us. They would advise us not to breastfeed atall.

Slummy