The mama grizzlies: Why mothers who breast-feed are more aggressive at protecting their young than those that use the bottle
Daily Mail:
Women who breast-feed are far more likely to aggressively protect their infants and themselves than women who bottle-feed their babies, claim researchers.
Female grizzly bears are known for their especially aggressive behaviour when protecting their young.
Now a study has found that when breast-feeding women behave aggressively, they register a lower blood pressure than other women.
Researchers say the results suggest that breast-feeding can help dampen the body’s typical stress response to fear, giving women the extra courage they need to defend themselves.
Jennifer Hahn-Holbrook, a postdoctoral fellow in the UCLA Department of Psychology in the U.S. and the study’s lead author, said: ‘Breast-feeding has many benefits for a baby’s health and immunity, but it seems to also have a little-known benefit for the mother.
‘It may be providing mothers with a buffer against the many stressors new mums face while at the same time, giving mothers an extra burst of courage if they need to defend themselves or their child.’
Read the whole story: Daily Mail
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