Women who breastfeed are less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis than women who don’t, according to a new report. “Lower risk of rheumatoid arthritis is a likely additional health benefit of breastfeeding, in addition to lowering the risk of ovarian cancer and breast cancer,” Dr. Elizabeth Wood Karlson from Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, told Reuters Health. Karlson and her colleagues used data from the Nurses’ Health Study to explore the contribution of women’s hormonal factors on the subsequent development of arthritis.
