Breast-Feeding Is Less Costly in the Short and Long Run

Only 23% of U.S. mothers breast-feed throughout the first year of their infant's life, although the practice is associated with a host of short- and long-term health benefits. Investigators used modeling techniques to estimate the cost savings that could be expected if yearlong breast-feeding were more prevalent. The analysis focused on five disease risks lowered by lactation (invasive breast cancer, ovarian cancer, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and myocardial infarction [MI]).

Assuming causal relations between breast-feeding and lifetime disease risk, the model projected that optimal (≥1 year) breast-feeding by 90% of mothers would result in significant reductions in incidence of breast cancer (4.3%), hypertension (5.5%), and MI (8.5%). Th…