Around one-quarter of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes in the study
Mothers who fail to breastfeed their babies are twice as likely to develop type 2 diabetes in later life.
A new study shows breastfeeding eliminates the extra risk posed by motherhood.
US researchers claim breastfeeding helps shift fat remaining around the abdomen after pregnancy, one of the factors behind the disorder.
They believe declining rates of breastfeeding in the western world may help explain the explosion in type 2 diabetes among middle-aged women.
Findings from a study of 2,233 women aged between 40 and 78 were published today in the American Journal of Medicine.
Dr Eleanor Schwarz, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Pittsburgh, who led the study, said 'We have seen dramatic increases in the prevalence of type 2 diabetes over the last century.
'Diet and exercise are widely known to impact the risk of type 2 diabetes, but few people realise that breastfeeding also reduces mothers' risk of developing the disease in later life by decresing maternal belly fat.'
In the study, just over half of mothers reported they had breastfed a child for at least one month.
Around one-quarter of mothers who did not breastfeed developed type 2 diabetes and they were almost twice as likely to get it as women who had breastfed or never given birth.
In contrast, women who breastfed all their children were no more likely to develop diabetes than women who remained childless.
These long-term differences persisted even after factors such as age, race and level of physical activity were taken into account.
The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe, with almost one in three new mothers never attempting to breastfeed compared with two per cent in Sweden.
Dr Schwarz said 'We have known for years that breastfeeding is important for babies' health; we now know that it is important for mothers' health as well.'
Previous research shows breast milk protects babies against stomach bugs, chest infections, asthma, eczema, and allergies, and confers health advantages in later life.
But it can also reduce the risk of pre-menopausal breast and ovarian cancer, and osteoporosis in the mother, and help mums regain their shape by burning an extra 500 calories a day.
Previous research by the same US team also found breastfeeding could protect mothers against heart attacks and stroke in later life.
Just one month of breastfeeding led to 10 per cent lower rates of diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol - all of which contribute to heart disease - compared with women who had never breastfed.
'Our study provides another good reason to encourage women to breastfeed their infants, at elast for the infant's first month of life.
'Clinicians need to consider women's pregnancy and lactation history when advising wome about their risk for developing type 2 diabetes' added Dr Schwarz.
NHS experts say breastfeeding gives babies all the nutrients they need for the first six months of life.
The Department of Health recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of life with additional breastfeeding while the baby moves on to solids if the mother wants to.
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