Posted on March 23, 2016
This was a study out of Brazil, of 6,000 babies from all backgrounds. It started in 1982. The goal was to see the long term effects of breastfeeding.
They found 3500 of these babies who are now 30 year old adults, who accepted an invitation to be interviewed and take an IQ test.
Findings?
- Those who were breastfed were more intelligent, spent longer in school, and earned more money.
- The longer they were breastfed, the better they tended to do.
- Children breastfed for 1 year had an IQ 4 points higher than those fed for less than a month.
- Those fed for 6 months had most of the benefits seen by those fed for longer.
- This study was across different social classes. They took into account family income, parental schooling, genes, maternal smoking, maternal age, birthweight, and type of delivery.
Breastfeeding also has benefits for the mother. A study from the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found breastfeeding lowers the mother’s risk of cancer and heart disease.
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