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Breast-Feeding Might Shield Women From Rheumatoid Arthritis -- Childbearing Had No Such Benefit If Baby Was Bottle-Fed, Research

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TUESDAY, May 13 (HealthDay News) -- Women who breast feed for more than one year reduce their risk of rheumatoid arthritis (RA) by half, according to a new Swedish study.

The researchers also found that having children but not breast-feeding offered women no protection against the disease.

Taking oral contraceptives also failed to reduce the risk of RA. It's been suspected that oral contraceptives offer protection against the disease because they contain hormones that are elevated during pregnancy.