Breast-feeding raises children's IQs, study says

Children whose mothers took part in a program that encouraged the
practice had
higher verbal scores than children in a control group, a large study
finds.

By Denise Gellene
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer

May 6, 2008

Increased breast-feeding during the first months of life appears to
raise a
child's verbal IQ, according to a study of nearly 14,000 children that
was
released Monday.

The study in Archives of General Psychiatry found that 6-year-olds
whose mothers
were part of a program that encouraged them to breast-feed had verbal
IQs that
were an average of 7.5 points higher than those of children in a
control group.

The researchers said that their findings suggested that the longer an
infant is
exclusively fed breast milk, the greater the IQ improvement.

The results echo smaller previous studies that found children and
adults who
were breast-fed tended to have higher IQs than whose who were not.

Lead author Dr. Michael Kramer, a professor of pediatrics at McGill
University
in Montreal, said the IQ improvements were modest and might not be
noticeable on
an individual basis. But he added that the increase could have a
significant
effect on society.

"We're not talking about making a child who has trouble in school and
is
dropping out into a genius," he said. "But if we can increase IQ by 3
to 4
points in the whole population, we can have fewer children at the low
end and
more Einsteins at the high end."

The latest study tracked breast-fed infants born between June 1996 and
December
1997 in Belarus. Half of the infants and mothers were assigned to an
experimental program designed to promote breast-feeding, while the
remaining
infants and mothers received regular pediatric and follow-up medical
care.

The breast-feeding program included increased counseling and
instruction when
women visited doctors or clinics.

At the end of three months, 72% of infants in the experimental group
were still
breast-feeding to some degree, compared with 60% in the group that did
not
receive breast-feeding support.

The researchers believe that what drove the results was the
substantially higher
number of infants who were exclusively breast-fed in the experimental
group: 43%
compared with 6% of infants in the control group.

All children in the study were interviewed and examined between 2002
and 2005,
when they were an average of 6 1/2 years old. The children's academic
performance also was evaluated by their teachers.

Besides the improvement in their verbal IQ scores, children in the
experimental
group scored an average of 4.9 points higher on tests that
specifically measured
vocabulary.

Compared with children in the control group, children in the
experimental group
had overall IQ scores 5.9 points higher than those of children in the
control
group and better academic assessments from their teachers, but the
improvements
were not deemed statistically significant.

Kramer said that more research was needed to determine whether the
benefits were
related to a component of breast milk or to the physical and social
interaction
between mother and child that is inherent in breast-feeding.

The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics
recommend
that infants receive only breast milk during the first six months of
life.
Children who are breast-fed are believed to have health advantages,
including
fewer gastrointestinal problems.

Last week, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
reported that
breast-feeding in the U.S. was at an all-time high, with 77% of new
mothers
saying they breast-fed their children compared with 60% in 1993-1994.

Source: LA Times
http://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-breastfeed6-2008may06,0,4266885.story

On May 13, 4:29 pm, Lance  wrote:
> Breast-feeding raises children's IQs, study says
>
> Children whose mothers took part in a program that encouraged the
> practice had
> higher verbal scores than children in a control group, a large study
> finds.
>
> By Denise Gellene
> Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
>
> May 6, 2008
>
> Increased breast-feeding during the first months of life appears to
> raise a
> child's verbal IQ, according to a study of nearly 14,000 children that
> was
> released Monday.
>
> The study in Archives of General Psychiatry found that 6-year-olds
> whose mothers
> were part of a program that encouraged them to breast-feed had verbal
> IQs that
> were an average of 7.5 points higher than those of children in a
> control group.
>
> The researchers said that their findings suggested that the longer an
> infant is
> exclusively fed breast milk, the greater the IQ improvement.
>
> The results echo smaller previous studies that found children and
> adults who
> were breast-fed tended to have higher IQs than whose who were not.
>
> Lead author Dr. Michael Kramer, a professor of pediatrics at McGill
> University
> in Montreal, said the IQ improvements were modest and might not be
> noticeable on
> an individual basis. But he added that the increase could have a
> significant
> effect on society.
>
> "We're not talking about making a child who has trouble in school and
> is
> dropping out into a genius," he said. "But if we can increase IQ by 3
> to 4
> points in the whole population, we can have fewer children at the low
> end and
> more Einsteins at the high end."
>
> The latest study tracked breast-fed infants born between June 1996 and
> December
> 1997 in Belarus. Half of the infants and mothers were assigned to an
> experimental program designed to promote breast-feeding, while the
> remaining
> infants and mothers received regular pediatric and follow-up medical
> care.
>
> The breast-feeding program included increased counseling and
> instruction when
> women visited doctors or clinics.
>
> At the end of three months, 72% of infants in the experimental group
> were still
> breast-feeding to some degree, compared with 60% in the group that did
> not
> receive breast-feeding support.
>
> The researchers believe that what drove the results was the
> substantially higher
> number of infants who were exclusively breast-fed in the experimental
> group: 43%
> compared with 6% of infants in the control group.
>
> All children in the study were interviewed and examined between 2002
> and 2005,
> when they were an average of 6 1/2 years old. The children's academic
> performance also was evaluated by their teachers.
>
> Besides the improvement in their verbal IQ scores, children in the
> experimental
> group scored an average of 4.9 points higher on tests that
> specifically measured
> vocabulary.
>
> Compared with children in the control group, children in the
> experimental group
> had overall IQ scores 5.9 points higher than those of children in the
> control
> group and better academic assessments from their teachers, but the
> improvements
> were not deemed statistically significant.
>
> Kramer said that more research was needed to determine whether the
> benefits were
> related to a component of breast milk or to the physical and social
> interaction
> between mother and child that is inherent in breast-feeding.
>
> The World Health Organization and the American Academy of Pediatrics
> recommend
> that infants receive only breast milk during the first six months of
> life.
> Children who are breast-fed are believed to have health advantages,
> including
> fewer gastrointestinal problems.
>
> Last week, the national Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
> reported that
> breast-feeding in the U.S. was at an all-time high, with 77% of new
> mothers
> saying they breast-fed their children compared with 60% in 1993-1994.
>
> Source: LA Timeshttp://www.latimes.com/news/science/la-sci-breastfeed6-2008may06,0,42...

see

http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/104/47/18860?maxtoshow=&HITS=10&hits=10&RESULTFORMAT=&fulltext=breastfeeding&searchid=1&FIRSTINDEX=0&resourcetype=HWCIT