Make time for breastfeeding: Both mom and baby will benefit.

RODALE NEWS, EMMAUS, PA—Mothers can think of lots of reasons to breastfeed their babies: it cuts a baby's instances of allergies and infections, makes them smarter, and even lowers their risk of sudden infant death syndrome. But moms benefit, too. For one, breastfeeding lowers your risk of heart disease. And according to the results of a study presented at a recent meeting of the American Heart Association, breastfeeding also helps women ward off stubborn, and dangerous, belly fat during menopause.

THE DETAILS: Visceral fat, usually referred to as belly fat, builds up along the abdominal walls and around internal organs, usually around the time women go through menopause. It can be problematic because unlike other types of fat, visceral fat secretes hormones that increase your risk of diabetes, heart disease, and other metabolic disorders.

The researchers used data from an ongoing study of pre- and peri-menopausal women and their risk for heart disease. They analyzed data collected from 351 women, of whom 301 had given birth. The average number of children they'd had was 2, and the average length of time since they'd last had children was 19 years. Of those who'd given birth, roughly 30 percent had never breastfed; 30 percent had inconsistently breastfed, meaning they had breastfed some but not all of their children for less than three months; and 42 percent had consistently breastfed, meaning they had breastfed all their children for more than three months. Women who never breastfed had 28 percent more visceral fat, and women who inconsistently breastfed had 19 percent more visceral fat, than women who consistently breastfed. Those who breastfed inconsistently or not at all had higher waist-to-hip ratios, a risk factor for heart disease and diabetes. The differences were even larger compared to women who had never given birth. Women who never breastfed had 42 percent more visceral fat, and women who inconsistently breastfed had 30 percent more visceral fat, than women who had never given birth.