Cardiometabolic effects of breastfeeding on infants of diabetic mothers

Table 1 Beneficial effects of breastfeeding

Beneficial effects of breastfeeding
Neonates
It helps the development of the immature gut
It bears immunological, nutritional, and neurodevelopmental benefits for preterm neonates
It decreases the incidence of necrotizing enterocolitis in preterm babies
It prevents the development of post-natal hypoglycemia in IDMs
It improves neonatal portal immunity, e.g., nose, throat, and gastrointestinal tract
Infants and children
It is the ideal exclusive food for the first six months and the main food till 12 mo of age
It decreases infant mortality and protects against sudden infant death syndrome
It is crucial for the infant's eyesight, speech, jaw, and mouth development
It increases intelligence by at least 2-3 points
It promotes healthy weight gain in infants
It reduces diarrhea and respiratory infections
It protects against common childhood allergic diseases; e.g., eczema, allergic rhinitis, asthma, and food allergies
It protects against Celiac disease
It protects against malocclusion and dental caries
It decreases the incidence of inflammatory bowel diseases, e.g., Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis
It reduces body mass index and the risk of later obesity
It reduces the risk of type II DM by 24% to 32% and, to a lesser degree, type I DM
It decreases the risk of childhood leukemia by 14%-20%
It decreases the severity of urolithiasis during infancy
Lactating mothers
It helps rapid involution of the gravid uterus to return to its pre-gravid size
It decreases the risk of postpartum bleeding
It increases maternal-infant bonding
It significantly reduces postpartum depression in the first four postpartum months
It helps overweight mothers to lose weight
It significantly reduces the risk of ovarian cancer, especially the most lethal high-grade serous subtype of ovarian cancer
It significantly reduces breast, endometrial, and thyroid cancer risk
It reduces the risk of developing type 2 diabetes
It decreases the risk of hypertension, hypercholesteremia, and coronary artery disease
It decreases the risk of osteoporosis and arthritis

IDM: Infants of diabetic mothers