Breastfeeding as a method to prevent cardiovascular diseases in the mother and the child.

María José Aguilar Cordero, Nayra Madrid Baños, Laura Baena García, Norma Mur Villar, Rafael Guisado Barrilao, Antonio Manuel Sánchez López

Breastfeeding is a recommended practice from all health institutions, both national and international, due to the benefits that it provides for both the nursling's and the mother's health. It has been proved that mothers who breastfeed their children suffer from less cardiovascular disorders, including hypertension, than those women who have never done it. The goal of this review is to analyse the studies that have done some research on breastfeeding as a protection from cardiovascular diseases in the mother and the infant. A systematic search has been carried out and 10 meta-analysis or reviews, 8 original articles of clinical studies, 31 longitudinal or cohort studies and 7 correlational studies of large sample and descriptive were selected. Cardiovascular disease is the main cause of death for women all over the world. Diet, exercise, quitting smoking and blood pressure control are well-known methods to prevent cardiovascular diseases. It has been shown that breastfeeding has a positive impact on the mother and child´s blood pressure level, both in the short term and the long term. It is, thus, necessary to provide further information for the population so as to promote breastfeeding and know its benefits.