Passage 3
Questions 11 to 15 are based on the following passage:
Breastfeeding (母乳喂养) for a month or longer appears to reduce a woman's risk of getting diabetes (糖病) later in life, according to a new study. The breastfeeding and diabetes link has been reported in other studies, according to researcher Eleanor Schwarz. Yet, her study makes the link easier to believe. Her study is published in a journal of medicine in America. Schwarz and her colleagues looked at data about breastfeeding practices. They evaluated data on 2,233 women from Califomia. Of those, 405 were not mothers, 1,125 were mothers who breastfed for at least a month, and 703 were mothers who had never breastfed. They were 40 to 78 years old.
According to Schwarz's study, the risk of getting a diagnosis (诊断) of Type 2 diabetes for women who breastfed all their children for a month or longer was similar to that of women who had not given birth. But mothers who had never breastfed were nearly twice as likely to develop diabetes as women who had never given birth. Mothers who never breastfed were about 1.4 times as likely to develop diabetes as women who breastfed for one to three months, Schwarz found.
While one month of breastfeeding appears to make a difference, Schwarz says, even longer is better. (80) “Previous studies have shown the longer the mom breastfeeds, the more benefit for her body.” Many experts recommend breastfeeding for six months and continuing for a year, she says.
The diabetes-breastfeeding link is probably explained by belly fat. Mothers, who don't breastfeed, as they get older, may have more belly fat, as breastfeeding helps new mothers take off weight. “Belly fat increases the risk of diabetes as you get older,” she says.
The finding isn't surprising at all, says Kimberly Gregory. She often gives advice to women who get diabetes (occurring during pregnancy (怀孕)) that they are at risk for later getting Type 2 diabetes and suggests they breastfeed. The new findings will probably inspire Gregory to add to the-advice sh
