Impact of breastfeeding on heart health
While the impact of breastfeeding on infant health and development is well known, mounting evidence suggests that breastfeeding also offers significant protection against heart disease in women. A systematic review of studies involving over one million women published in 2022 found that women who breastfed at some time in their life were 14% less likely to develop coronary heart disease; 12% less likely to suffer strokes; and 17% less likely to die from cardiovascular disease.
These findings came as no surprise to Ingram School of Nursing researcher and Associate Professor Sonia Semenic, N, PhD, an internationally recognized expert in breastfeeding promotion and support and the implementation of evidence-informed practice in perinatal health. Since 2017, Prof. Semenic has been collaborating with Dr. Nathalie Dayan, an internist who specializes in women’s heart health and directs the Maternal Cardiovascular Clinic at the MUHC. Their current study, titled sheMATTERS (iMproving cArdiovascular healTh in new moThERS), is a randomized control trial of a self-efficacy based intervention to support breastfeeding among 176 women diagnosed with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy (HDP).
Women with HDP are up to four times more likely to develop heart disease later in life, due in part to underlying vascular changes that may increase their later risk for stroke and heart disease. “Given that one of the strongest predictors of longer breastfeeding duration is breastfeeding self-efficacy, the aim of our study is to see if we can increase women’s confidence in their ability to breastfeed, and if this will lead to higher rates of breastfeeding duration and exclusivity, which in turn benefits their heart health.” As Prof. Semenic explains, over a 12-year period, the study will compare longer-term cardiovascular outcomes in the group of breastfeeding women with HDP who received the self-efficacy based support intervention versus those who were in the control group.
Canada-wide breastfeeding research network a welcome addition to the research landscape
Along with Dr. Jennifer Abbass-Dick, Prof. Semenic is one of the co-founders of the Canadian Breastfeeding Research Network, a first for Canada. Launched in 2023 with the support of a planning grant from the Canadian Institutes for Health Research (CIHR), this national virtual network of interdisciplinary researchers will build breastfeeding research capacity across the country. “Through activities such as harmonizing breastfeeding measures so that we can compare data between provinces, our primary goal is to enhance breastfeeding research and advocacy in order to improve health outcomes across the lifespan for infants and their mothers,” concludes Prof. Semenic.