Breast-fed Children Perform Better at IQ and Vocabulary Tests

A recent study has found that when mothers exclusively breast feed their child for a long time, the children are greatly benefited. Breast-fed children performed better in intelligence tests as well as had a better vocabulary at age 3. There is a four point increase in IQ when children are breast-fed for a year.

The study also took into account the kind of interaction children experienced at home, as well as the mother’s intelligence. They also evaluated the effects on mother’s food during her pregnancy and lactation especially the amount of fish consumed.

Fish contains a fatty acid known as DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid, which may do wonders for the developing brain.

“Our results support a causal relationship of breast-feeding duration with receptive language and verbal and nonverbal intelligence later in life. It is clear that a vicious cycle can be created wherein lack of breast-feeding begets lower IQ, which begets lower socioeconomic status and thereby decreases the probability of breast-feeding the next generation and so on,” researchers said.



Source-Medindia