Breastfeeding and Diabetes Risk: What Is the Relationship?

Breastfeeding alters the insulin sensitivity of various organs, potentially explaining the suggested relationship between lactation and lowered risk of developing type 2 diabetes, according to the results of a recent study.

While previous studies have proposed a protective effect of breastfeeding that could last decades after children are weaned, the mechanism behind this relationship is unclear, the researchers explained.

They conducted a study involving 18 new mothers, 12 of whom were currently breastfeeding, with or without formula, and 6 who were formula feeding. The women underwent hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp testing at 6 weeks postpartum, and stable isotopes were utilized to measure insulin sensitivity in specific organs. At 8 weeks, the women underwent magnetic resonance spectroscopy to measure the fat content of their livers.

Overall, while all of the participants had low blood insulin concentrations that were characteristic of women who had just given birth, the women who were breastfeeding were found to be producing 2.6-fold more glucose and releasing 2.3-fold more fatty acids during lipolysis compared with the women who were formula feeding. While both groups experienced suppression of lipolysis when researchers delivered insulin through the hyperinsulinemic-euglycemic clamp, higher levels of prolactin in the women who were breastfeeding was associated with greater suppression of lipolysis than observed in mothers who were formula feeding.

“These data suggest that whole-body alterations in glucose transport may be organ specific and facilitate nutrient partitioning during lactation. Recapitulating a shift toward noninsulin-mediated glucose uptake could be an early postpartum strategy to enhance lactation success in women at risk for delayed onset of milk production,” the researchers concluded.

—Michael Potts

Reference:

Ramos-Roman MA, Syed-Abdul MM, Adams-Huet B, et al. Lactation versus formula feeding: insulin, glucose, and fatty acid metabolism during the postpartum period. Diabetes. 2020;69(8): 1624-1635. doi: 10.2337/db19-1226