Breast is Best…for a Slim Waist?
Credit: D Sharon Pruitt
Everyone knows that breast milk is great for babies. And many new moms know that breastfeeding can help shed those pregnancy pounds because it takes about 500 calories each day to produce milk. But what I didn’t know as an expecting mom is that women who breastfeed have reduced amounts of abdominal fat later in life, even decades later.
A recent study showed that middle-aged women who consistently breastfed had waist circumferences that were 2.6 inches smaller than women who had never breastfed. And because abdominal fat is the bad stuff that can contribute to a host of diseases, including heart disease, it’s a good idea to blast it away any way possible.
—Erin