Introduction:

Breastfeeding is key to ensuring the proper functioning of the baby's immune system.

Objective:

to describe the immunological role of breastfeeding in the prevention of diseases of the newborn, infants and mother.

Methods:

a descriptive, narrative bibliographic review was carried out. The search was carried out through virtual biomedical data platforms: SciELO, Lilacs, Medline, PubMed and the Google Scholar search engine in September 2023. 450 references were consulted, 30 were selected according to their relevance and updating that met the inclusion criteria. Historical-logical and analysis-synthesis methods were used.

Development:

breast milk promotes immune maturation, prevents infectious diseases such as diarrhea and pneumonia, has an antioxidant effect, promotes the maturation of the body's systems, provides anti-inflammatory properties, is involved in the production of antibodies, mainly immunoglobulins, a protective role against obesity, high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes mellitus during adulthood. In the mother, it reduces the risk of postpartum anemia, protects against breast cancer, and facilitates the regression of the female genital organs during the puerperium.

Conclusions:

breast milk is the only food that the child needs for the first six months of life, it is decisive in the immunological development of newborns and infants, it constitutes their first immunization. Delaying or restricting breast milk increases the risk of infections, allergies, long-term illnesses, and death.

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