BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS
DATE:
05/05/2008
Breast milk boosts IQ: Up to 8 points separate babies fed by their mothers and those on formula
By JENNY HOPE
Brain boost: A breast-fed baby is likely to be more intelligent than those fed with formula
Breast-fed babies grow into more intelligent children, with IQs up to eight points higher than those who are bottle-fed, scientists claim.
A study showed long-term breastfeeding aids brain development in addition to its already recognised advantages such as resistance to infections, allergies and asthma.
Researchers studied 14,000 children for more than six years and found those who were breast-fed did significantly better in IQ tests.
At six-and-a-half, exclusively breast-fed children scored 5.9 points higher on average in tests of overall intelligence.
They also scored 7.5 points higher in tests of verbal intelligence and 2.9 points in non-verbal intelligence tests.
It is thought breast milk contains ingredients which boost mental skills while the intimacy of breastfeeding may also help children.
Scientists studied patients at 31 maternity hospitals in the late-1990s when half the mothers were enrolled in a programme encouraging long-term, exclusive breastfeeding. The rest had normal care and were allowed to choose how to feed their babies.
The study in Belarus, Eastern Europe, was designed not to be influenced by factors such as the mother's intelligence or the way she interacted with her baby.
Almost half the mothers in the breastfeeding programme - 43 per cent - were still giving their babies breast milk at three months.
For the rest, the figure was 6 per cent.
The children's mental ability was assessed in IQ tests run by doctors and teachers' ratings of their performance-in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects.
The teachers gave the breast-fed children a significantly higher rating in both reading and writing.
Study leader Professor Michael Kramer said: "While most studies have been based on association, we can make a causal inference between breastfeeding and intelligence because of the randomised design of our study."
Professor Kramer, from McGill University in Montreal, Canada, said breast milk may have nutrients not found in formula milk which stimulate brain development. But the study, published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry, could not rule out other influences such as the physical and psychological closeness between mother and child during feeding.
British mothers are advised that 'breast is best' but fewer than half of babies are breastfed at six weeks.
Studies have consistently found a link between higher IQ scores and breastfeeding but British scientists recently claimed it was mostly due to the mother's intelligence.
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust, said even when background was considered, breastfeeding was linked to four extra IQ points on average.
She said: "The benefits increase as the amount and length of time of breastfeeding continues."
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