Breastfed babies grow up smarter

A massive study by Canadian researchers appears to confirm previous studies that show that mothers who breastfeed their babies over a prolonged period can expect their children to develop higher IQs than babies who are formula-fed, Canadian Press reported.

Researchers from McGill University based their findings on 13,889 infants born between June 1996 and December 1997 at 31 maternity hospitals and clinics in Belarus. Half the mothers were encouraged to breastfeed exclusively, while the other half were not.

When the children’s cognitive abilities were evaluated six-and-a-half years later, those who had been breastfed were found to be, on average, three to four points higher on IQ tests. On every test, they scored higher than the non-breastfed children and “significantly higher” in both reading and writing.

“I think that what this says,” said Dr. Michael Kramer, a professor of pediatrics and epidemiology, “is your average mother in a developed country like Canada who succeeds in breastfeeding for the duration and the degree of exclusivity achieved by the women in our experimental group . . . can expect her child to be a few points higher in IQ.”

But Kramer stressed that women who are unable or unwilling to breastfeed, for whatever reason, should not worry that their child will end up less intelligent as a result. These mothers, he said, “have other ways of stimulating their children and improving their IQ, like reading and playing with their children.”

What remains unclear, said Kramer, was whether the cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to the milk or to the interactions between mother and child while breastfeeding.