Breast feeding may not help control blood pressure

A review of the evidence suggests that being breast fed in infancy may not lead to lower blood pressure in later life.
The benefits of breast feeding are well known – better development of the child’s nervous system and perhaps protection against obesity and allergy. But a link between breast feeding and lower blood pressure in later life may not be as clear as first thought.

Researchers at St George’s Hospital Medical School in London have looked at the studies on breast feeding and blood pressure. They looked at 24 studies relating to breast feeding in infancy versus bottle feeding and blood pressure as an adult. The differences between the two types of feeding as far as blood pressure was concerned were small, the researchers note. And where larger, more reliable studies were considered, the differences all but disappeared. Perhaps there are better ways of controlling blood pressure. But the other benefits of breast feeding still stand.

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