Study: Breastfeeding makes kids smarter

BEIJING, May 6 (Xinhuanet) -- Mothers who breastfeed their children can expect them to grow up smarter than their formula-fed peers, Canadian researchers reported Monday.

The study, largest ever of lactation, published in this month's issue of Archives of General Psychiatry found that breastfeeding raises a child's IQ and improves his or her academic performance.

"Our study provides the strongest evidence to date that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding makes kids smarter," said lead investigator Michaelo Kramer of McGill University in Montreal.

His team followed 13,889 infants born between June 1996 and December 1997 at 31 Belarussian maternity hospitals and clinics for 6.5 years. Half of the mothers were encouraged to breastfeed exclusively and for a prolonged period, while the other half were not.

On average, the breastfed group scored better in all IQ tests, and "significantly higher" in both reading and writing.

Kramer said, however, it is still not clear whether the cognitive benefits of breastfeeding are due to the makeup of breast milk itself or the social and physical interactions between mother and child inherent in breastfeeding.

(Agencies)