Breast-fed Babies Have Higher IQ: Study

Breast-fed children appear to have better verbal IQ than those who are fed with formula milk, suggests a recent study. Longer an infant is exclusively fed on breast milk, the greater is the IQ improvement and such kids usually have superior reading and writing abilities.

Dr. Michael S. Kramer, of McGill University and the Montreal Children’s Hospital in Canada and his colleagues conducted the study which involved 7,108 infants in Belarus who were assigned to exclusive breast-feeding while another 6,781 infants received the usual practice of breastfeeding plus other foods.

It was found, through a standard IQ test that the exclusively breast-fed children scored, on average, 7.5 points higher in verbal intelligence, 2.9 points higher in nonverbal intelligence and 5.9 points higher in overall intelligence, as compare with the other children. The tests were given to the children when they reached around 6.5 years of age.

Dr. Kramer, the lead author said the IQ improvements were reticent and might not be perceptible on an individual basis but the increase, he said could have a significant effect on society.

"We're not talking about making a child who has trouble in school and is dropping out into a genius," he said. "But if we can increase IQ by 3 to 4 points in the whole population, we can have fewer children at the low end and more Einsteins at the high end."

The researchers however, could not ascertain whether the findings were related to the fact that, mothers from more affluent backgrounds were more likely to breastfeed and it was factors related to the family circumstances that was really influencing intelligence.

Another perspective also holds that Mother’s milk appears to contain certain amino acids, like omega three fatty acids and DHA (Docosahexaenoic acid) which are not found in baby formula but are very important for brain’s development and probably contribute to improved IQ.

"Even though the treatment difference appears causal, it remains unclear whether the observed cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to some constituents of breast milk or are related to the physical and social interactions inherent in breastfeeding," Dr. Kramer said.

The World Health Organization and The American Academy of Pediatrics and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists recommend that new mothers should breast-feed their babies exclusively for the first six months of their life and continue breast-feeding with baby food till the baby turns one.