Narrative review demonstrates cardioprotective benefits of lactation after hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, suggesting lactation support serves as preventive cardiology.
Key Points
To review epidemiologic, clinical, and translational evidence examining lactation as a targeted cardioprotective strategy for individuals with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy.
Targeted narrative review conducted across PubMed and Open Evidence databases in April and May 2026.
Synthesized data from large cohort studies, randomized clinical trials, and translational research linking breastfeeding to cardiometabolic endpoints.
Lactation activates key cardioprotective mechanisms, including favorable endocrine regulation, metabolic adaptations, and hormone-mediated anti-inflammatory pathways.
Sustained breastfeeding is qualitatively associated with lower lifetime maternal risks of hypertension, hyperlipidemia, type 2 diabetes, and overall cardiovascular disease.