Breastfeeding has been linked to a reduced risk of heart attack or stroke later in life for mothers.
Research published in of the Journal of the American Heart Association found mothers who breastfed their babies had a nine per cent lower risk of heart disease, and a eight per cent lower risk of stroke, compared to women who had never breastfed.
While the cause for the reduced risk is unknown, researchers at the University of Oxford believe breastfeeding may "reset" a mother's metabolism.
"Pregnancy changes a woman's metabolism dramatically as she stores fat to provide the energy necessary for her baby's growth and for breastfeeding once the baby is born. Breastfeeding could eliminate the stored fat faster and more completely," co-author and research fellow Sanne Peters said.
Previous studies have suggested mothers get short-term health benefits from breastfeeding - such as weight loss and lower cholesterol, blood pressure and glucose levels.
However, the long-term impact of breastfeeding on the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases was unclear.
Researchers from the University of Oxford, the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking University analysed the data from 289,573 Chinese women of an average age of 51.
Nearly all were mothers and none had cardiovascular disease when they enrolled in the China Kadoorie Biobank study.
After eight years of follow-up, there were 16,671 cases of coronary heart disease, which included heart attacks, and 23,983 stroke cases.
The authors noted this was only an observational study and further research was needed to confirm the findings, although they were significant.
Heart disease in Australia is the number one killer of women.
"The findings should encourage more widespread breastfeeding for the benefit of the mother as well as the child," Professor Zhengming Chen said.
"The study provides support for the World Health Organisation's recommendation that mothers should breastfeed their babies exclusively for their first six months of life."
