Posted on 10/03/2006 8:44:58 PM PDT by blam
Breast milk 'does not boost IQ'
Breastfed babies tend to be brighter
Breastfed babies are smarter because their mothers are clever in the first place, not because of any advantage of breastfeeding itself, a study suggests. Researchers found breastfeeding mothers tend to be more intelligent, more highly educated, and likely to provide a more stimulating home environment.
However, they stressed that there were still many advantages to breastfeeding.
The British Medical Journal study was carried out by the Medical Research Council and University of Edinburgh.
Lead researcher Geoff Der said: "This question has been debated ever since a link between the two [high IQ and breastfeeding] was first discovered in 1929.
"Breastfed children do tend to score higher on intelligence tests, but they also tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds."
The researchers analysed data from more than 5,000 children and 3,000 mothers in the USA.
They found that mothers who breastfeed tend to be more intelligent, and when this fact was taken into account, most of the relationship between breastfeeding and the child's intelligence disappeared.
The rest was accounted for by other aspects of the family background.
Sibling comparison
The researchers also looked at families where one child was breastfed and another was not.
This confirmed the earlier results - the breastfed child was no more intelligent than his or her sibling.
Putting the results together with other studies that measured the mother's IQ confirmed this pattern.
Mr Der said: "This research shows that intelligence is determined by factors other than breastfeeding.
"But breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child. It's definitely the smart thing to do."
Breastfeeding has been linked to a range of health benefits.
Just one day of breastfeeding is thought to be enough to stabilise a baby's blood sugar levels, and provide natural antibodies against disease.
Breastfed babies have been shown to be less prone to diarrhoea, vomiting, and respiratory infections. Breastfeeding may also have a long impact on reducing blood pressure and obesity.
The World Health Organization recommends that babies should be breastfed for at least the first two years.
Low rates
The UK has one of the lowest breastfeeding rates in Europe - almost a third of women in England and Wales never try to breastfeed, compared with just 2% in Sweden.
Rosie Dodds, of the National Childbirth Trust, said the study was not conclusive.
She said a study in the Philippines - where, unlike the West, poorer women are more likely to breastfeed - showed that breastfed children were likely to be more intelligent.
However she added: "Women do not breastfeed because of any benefit to their baby, they do it because it feels like the natural thing to do.
"It is important that women make a decision that is right for them, and their family, and they should not be pressurised either way, but we would like to see more support for women who do decide they want to breastfeed."
A Department of Health spokesperson said breastfeeding is the best form of nutrition for infants.
"We know that the composition of breast milk meets the individual needs of each baby and that as a result breastfeeding can make a major contribution to public health."
Milk does a body good.
Darn....but I keep trying....
Baby: "It can't hurt, can it?"
I was only successful in breast-feeding one of my 6 children.
A breast specialist has confirmed that I have an inflammatory problem that prevents me from comfortably feeding my children this way. The result is that I usually could not handle it past 1 week and would start bottle feeding.
There was no difference in the intelligence or health between my breast fed baby and the others.
I guess it's not good enough that breast feeding has worked for thousands of years.
No offense intended to all of those wonderful mothers that choose not to breast feed for any reason. You probably know better than me, I just a hard headed guy.
This doesn't really surprise me. Though I breastfed all of my children I have always believed that studies of intelligence, behavior etc. are not controlled enough for socioeconomic factors-they can't be, let's face it, crack babies aren't breastfed. That's the extreme I realize, but the point is it's very hard to attribute intellience to one factor or another when so many factors are in play.
There are however medical benfits to breastfeeding in terms of fewer illnesses, infections etc. that I do not believe can be attributed solely to environment. At the very least premature babies who are fed breastmilk fare better than those who aren't, I would tend to think this is too early for socioeconomic factors to come into play. There must be some physiological benefit to feeding children the way nature intended.
Just don't tell your honey.
Okay....I promise to never tell her that it won't improve my IQ....
Breastfeeding is at the least easier on the babies digestive tract.
It's far more convenient that carrying around bottles and getting up in the middle of the night to heat up foul smelling formula just to have the baby throw it up all over the place.
It's lots cheaper, too.
I nursed all three of mine and none of them have the food allergies that both my husband and I have. Both of us were raised on the *better living through chemistry* philosophy; either formula or Pet Evaporated Milk mixed with water.
I simply don't understand how anyone could think anything is better than, or even equal to, mother's milk. It's designed to provide the perfect nutrition for the baby of any species
Um. Because it is?
ping! Your subject! LOL ;0)
And... the packaging is FAR more attractive! :)
~GCR~
LOL
It is wise to prevent infants from ever coming in contact with a breast.
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