Study: Long-Term Breast-Feeding Will Raise Child's IQ
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Want your child to attend an Ivy League college?
Breast-feed them and they just might be able to.
A new study, published in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry, showed that children who experienced long-term, exclusive breast-feeding scored higher on intelligence tests than children who were given formula instead.
The study was led by Dr. Michael S. Kramer of McGill University and the Montreal Children’s Hospital in Montreal, Quebec.
The tests measured verbal intelligence, non-verbal intelligence and overall intelligence. Teachers also said the children who had been breast-fed did significantly better in reading and writing.
According to the study, essential long-chain fatty acids and a compound known as insulin-like growth factor I, which is found in breast milk, could be responsible for the cognitive differences.
It is also possible that the physical or emotional component breast-feeding offers could positively affect brain development.
“Although breastfeeding initiation rates have increased substantially during the last 30 years, much less progress has been achieved in increasing the exclusivity and duration of breast-feeding,” the authors wrote.
“The consistency of our findings based on a randomized trial with those reported in previous observational studies should prove helpful in encouraging further public health efforts to promote, protect and support breastfeeding.”
4 comments:
Lord knows my kids need all the help they can get.
On a less serious note, with this I completely agree:
“The consistency of our findings based on a randomized trial with those reported in previous observational studies should prove helpful in encouraging further public health efforts to promote, protect and support breastfeeding.”
Promote and support breastfeeding mothers!
Now it's hard for me to compare to a point: Both my boys were formula fed (I don't know what I was thinking---I was young?!!). They are both of average intelligence, although Tomm has quite a memory and much knowledge about things he is interested in. He's always been like that. Nick is good electronically. But Shea shows much more intelligence at her age than her brothers did. She was breastfed!! She did have a bit of formula because I wasn't making enough milk but she didn't like it much thus she didn't drink it often. I think I wasted more than she'd drink!! Anyway, the problem with the comparison is that it is also said that girls mature more quickly than boys, so is her intelligence due to the fact that she is female or breastfed or both? I'm thinking---BOTH!!
PS I truly regret not BFing my boys!! I wish I had!!
i like this article b/c it is encouraging to me--after all the nine million hours i have logged breastfeeding--but i just want to state (for the record) that even those who didn't want to, couldn't, wouldn't, breastfeed--it comes down to what works best for your family. that's just how i feel though (and i was only b/f for 3 months and i turned out ok =)
you turned out more than OK!
Post a Comment