Study Reveals Truth Behind Breastfeeding

November 1, 2007 -

According to a new study, nursing mothers no longer need to worry about breastfeeding causing their breasts to sag.

The study found that there is no relation with breastfeeding and the shape of the breasts.

Study Conducted by Plastic Surgeon

Dr. Brian Rinker, a plastic surgeon from the University of Kentucky, interviewed 132 women who came to him for a breast lift or breast augmentation.

"A lot of times, if a woman comes in for a breast lift or a breast augmentation, she'll say 'I want to fix what breastfeeding did to my breasts'," says Rinker.

The women interviewed were an average of 39-years-old and 93 percent of them had gone through at least one pregnancy.

58 percent had breastfed their infants.

Results Show No Relation

In conclusion to the study, Rinker found that there was no relation between breastfeeding and breast ptosis, the term used to describe sagging breasts.

However, he did find that age, the number of pregnancies and whether the patient is a smoker has a significant impact on the breasts.

"Smoking breaks down a protein in the skin called elastin, which gives youthful skin its elastic appearance and supports the breasts...so it would make sense that smoking would have an adverse effect on the breasts," explains Rinker.

(Source: University of Kentucky News)

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