Breastfed babies are more intelligent because a higher percentage of highly educated mothers tend to breastfeed, say researchers from the Medical Research Council (UK) and the University of Edinburgh. A higher percentage of breastfed babies are brought up in a mentally stimulating environment.

You can read about this study in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers looked at data on 5,475 children and 3,161 mothers from the United States.

A link between breastfeeding and higher IQ was first spotted in 1929, and has been a controversial subject ever since, says Geoff Der, lead researcher. He said that not only do breastfed children generally perform better on intelligence tests, but they also tend to come from more advantaged backgrounds.

When factoring out the fact that breastfeeding mothers tend to be more intelligent, the link between breastfeeding and a baby’s higher IQ vanished. What really mattered was the family background. They found that siblings were generally equally intelligent, even if one was breastfed and the other not.

Geoff Der said “This research shows that intelligence is determined by factors other than breastfeeding. But breastfeeding has many benefits for both mother and child. It’s definitely the smart thing to do.”

Breastfeeding has been shown to offer other health benefits. Here are some of the benefits for the baby:

— Babies who are breastfed have better stabilized blood sugar levels

— Breastfed babies are less likely to have diarrhea

— Breastfed babies are less likely to have respiratory infections

— Studies have also indicated that breastfed babies are less likely to develop hypertension (high blood pressure) and obesity later in life

— Breastfed babies have fewer illnesses. The mother’s milk provides the infant with antibodies. 80% of breast milk cells kill bacteria, fungi and viruses (they are macrophages)

— Human breast milk is always sterile. It is not contaminated by dirty water or dirty bottles

— Babies are not allergic to human breast milk. They may have an allergy to something the mother is eating – if she eliminates it from her diet the problem is solved.

— Breastfeeding helps the bonding between mother and baby

Breastfeeding benefits for mother

— It is less complicated. No bottles to organize, no formula to mix

— It helps the mother get back to her normal weight

— It helps get the uterus back to its normal size more quickly

— Breastfeeding often suppresses ovulation. This makes it less likely that the mother will get pregnant

— Breastfeeding is cheaper than bottle-feeding

Effect of breast feeding on intelligence in children: prospective study, sibling pairs analysis, and meta-analysis
Geoff Der, G David Batty, Ian J Deary
BMJ, doi:10.1136/bmj.38978.699583.55 (published 4 October 2006)
Click here to view abstract online

Written by: Christian Nordqvist
Editor: Medical News Today