Breastfeeding and Alzheimer’s.

Mothers who breastfed their children have a reduced risk for Alzheimer’s disease later in life. Researches have two theories on why this may be the case: 1) Breastfeeding deprives the body of progesterone and progesterone is known to desensitize the brain’s oestrogen receptors. This may increase the amount of oestrogen in the brain, a hormone that may play a role in protecting the brain from Alzheimer’s. 2) Breastfeeding restores a woman’s insulin sensitivity after pregnancy. Alzheimer’s has been characterized as a resistance to insulin in the brain so much so that it has even been referred to as type 3 diabetes.
Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, August 2013