A group of scientists explored the short-term and long-term benefits, yet unknown, for mother as well as the baby and found that breastfeeding may help reduce mom's risk of type 2 diabetes after gestational diabetes.

A study of 4,400 women followed for more than 20 years suggests breastfeeding for a longer period of time could help women diagnosed with gestational diabetes during pregnancy lower their risk of developing type 2 diabetes later in life. Women with gestational diabetes who lactated for more than one year total (for all children combined) reduced their risk of type 2 diabetes by about 30 percent compared to those who did not breastfeed at all.

The research suggested the long-term beneficial impact of lactation may persist across the lifespan of aging women. Also, in the study, breastfeeding appeared protective against metabolic syndrome in teen years. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of conditions that raise the risk of heart disease and diabetes. A study of overweight and obese Hispanic teens with a family history of type 2 diabetes found that those who were breastfed for at least one month as babies were substantially less likely to have metabolic syndrome in their teen years compared to those who were not breastfed.

This protective benefit of breastfeeding was seen among those born to mothers with and without gestational diabetes during pregnancy. Breastfeeding appeared protective against overweight in babies who gain weight rapidly, the study claimed. Gaining weight rapidly during early life puts infants at increased risk for obesity later on. In the study, babies who gained weight rapidly in the first four months of life were significantly more likely to be classified as overweight by one year of age if they were exclusively formula fed rather than breastfed for 11 months or longer.

Evidences were found of the theory that a woman's weight influences what's in her breast milk. Preliminary findings from a new study revealed that breast milk of obese women has higher levels of total fat, the inflammatory marker C-reactive protein, and hormones including leptin and insulin compared to breast milk of normal-weight women during the first six months postpartum. The implications of these differences for infant growth and development are yet unknown.

A breastfeeding mom's diet may influence her baby's intestinal microbiome, another study claimed. The fat, carbohydrate, protein and calorie contents of a breastfeeding mom's diet have been found to be associated with the kinds of bacteria found in her baby's stool. This study, the first of its kind relating a mother's diet to her infant's microbiome, shed new light on how the intestinal microbiome is shaped during the first months of life.

According to another study, drinking sweetened beverages causes fructose spike in breast milk. Researchers report the concentration of fructose in breast milk rose and remained high for up to 5 hours after lactating women consumed a 20-ounce bottle of soda containing 65 grams of sugar (in the form of high-fructose corn syrup). Fructose levels in breast milk were unaffected by drinking an artificially-sweetened beverage containing zero grams of sugar. The findings from the study will b presented at The Nutrition 2018 meeting at the Hynes Convention Center in Boston.