Scientists: Breastfeeding benefits are profound

A new study has shed further light on the health benefits to a new mother of breastfeeding her children.

Swedish scientists discovered that women who breastfeed are half as likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis (RA).

Breastfeeding has already been shown to reduce a woman's risk of ovarian cancer, breast cancer and weaker bones, as well as provide infants with all the nutrients they need and protecting them from disease.

"Breastfeeding is known to have multiple health benefits for the baby and may protect mothers against breast cancer and ovarian cancer," the researchers wrote in the journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.

"Furthermore, our results indicate that breastfeeding may have a dose-dependent protective effect against RA."