The Glucose Club's Blog

There have been two studies in recent times that are showing links to breast feeding and type 2 diabetes.  The first from ANU released in March 2010 found that mothers who breastfeed up to 3 months reduce their risk of developing type 2 diabetes to that of a woman who never had children. This study included accounting for woman's age, family history of type-2 diabetes, body mass index, smoking, and alcohol consumption. The second study, also by ANU showed that children who are breastfed for the first three months have a reduced risk of up to 50% in the development of type 2 diabetes.  This is fantastic news for mums who have been wondering if all the effort to establish and maintain breastfeeding has been worthwhile in the long run.  This is also great for those with a history of diabetes in the family, in trying to help prevent the development of type 2 diabetes.

While there are many benefits to breastfeeding both for mother and child, for some there are more cons than pros.  It’s worth remembering that there are many factors that influence a woman’s decision to breastfeed and when to wean.  Factors that may influence this decision include returning to work, finances, energy levels or personal health issues such as breast cancer, not to mention those babies needs that outstrip their mother’s milk production! These studies should not put undue stress on women who can’t breastfeed or have chosen to wean earlier than 3 or 6 months.  It should simply be one of the pros to help a woman continue if she is having trouble or be celebrated by those who enjoy breastfeeding.

An article in yesterdays Daily Telegraph (Monday 6th July 2009) entitled “Kids put at risk by fatty diet” brings to the fore some startling statistics about Australian Children (http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,,25737756-2682,00.html).

The research to be published in Diabetes Care states that one third of all 14 year olds and one in four eight year olds fall into high-risk category for heart disease, stroke and diabetes.  One of the authors for the report, Professor Stanley, advises that this is so because there has been a dramatic increase in the amount of cheap and high fatty foods with “slick” advertising.  She also states that more activity for the whole family is needed.  They also comment that the definition of obesity is too focused on Body Mass Index alone and that in this report they considered waist circumference, blood pressure and insulin resistance.


This highlights how important a healthy lifestyle and getting control of your Sugar Daddy is for the whole family and how our kid’s health is suffering in this fast paced society.  I for one look forward to reading the report in full!