Scientists: A child’s high intelligence is linked to breastfeeding
Scientists: High intelligence of the child is linked to breastfeeding.
Researchers from Oxford University found that babies who were breastfed for a longer period of time had higher cognitive scores later. They talked about this in an article in PLOS ONE magazine.
The researchers collected data on 7,855 children born between 2000 and 2002 who underwent verbal and spatial cognitive tests at ages 5, 7, 11 and 14. A longer breastfeeding period was associated with higher scores at any age.
However, it is not clear to what extent breastfeeding directly affected the results.
The researchers said: “There is some controversy as to whether breastfeeding a child for a longer period of time improves his or her cognitive development.”
They explained that women who breastfed for longer tended to be more educated and more economically prosperous. Although the difference persists even after adjusting for this factor, there may be other factors that cannot be accounted for.
