Women! Exclusive Breastfeeding For Six Months Can Reduce Children’s Risk Of Liver Disease

A new study suggests breastfeeding along with maintaining a normal weight before pregnancy cuts the chances of kids developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease.

Mums who breastfeed for six months and stick to a healthy weight can slash their kids’ risk of liver disease, research reveals.

The study suggests exclusively breastfeeding for six months coupled with a normal weight before pregnancy cuts the chances of children developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD).


NAFLD is caused by a build-up of fat in the liver and is mostly seen in people who are overweight or obese.

One in every three people in the UK are feared to be in the early stages of NAFLD, where there are small amounts of fat in their liver.

NAFLD can cause serious liver damage, including cirrhosis, and is linked to diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.

In the new study, led by experts at the University of Western Australia, women who were a healthy weight before pregnancy had teenagers who had half the risk of adolescent NAFLD.

Dr Oyekoya Ayonrinde, clinical senior lecturer for medicine and pharmacology at the University of Western Australia and lead study author, said: “We wanted to see if there was any association between adolescent non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, maternal factors and infant nutrition.

“Our results demonstrate the grave impact maternal factors can have on the risk of developing liver disease in adolescence.”

Exclusively breastfeeding for at least six months reduced the risk of adolescent NAFLD by a third compared with bottle-feeding.