Health Bulletin

Breastfeeding may help obese moms lose pregnancy pounds

Breastfeeding may help women lose their pregnancy weight and keep it off if they were obese before they became pregnant, according to new research published in the journal Paediatrics.
When women who were obese prior to becoming mothers followed national breastfeeding recommendations, they weighed almost 18 pounds less than obese mothers who did not breastfeed. If mothers were overweight or had a normal weight before pregnancy, their weight six years later did not appear to be related to whether they breastfed their children or not.

Mental decline a risk factor for stroke

Declining mental skills appear to raise a person's odds for a stroke, according to a new study published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal (CMAJ).
Researchers found that people with memory and thinking problems were 39% more likely to suffer a stroke than those with normal mental function.