Moms, want to lower stress? Try breastfeeding. New research from the McGill-affiliated Douglas Hospital Research Centre in Montreal shows mothers who breastfeed respond less to stressful situations than those who bottle-feed their children. These findings suggest these mothers may be better able to care for their children.
"It has been well established that breast milk is the best source of nutrition for infants - it is beneficial to their physical and mental development," says Claire-Dominique Walker PhD, senior investigator and director of the Neuroscience Research Division at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre. "Our work now shows that there is a reciprocal benefit of breastfeeding to the mothers - they react less to stressful situations. This means they will focus more on their children and have more energy for activities such as attending to their infants and producing milk - this is an obvious gain for the children."