A recently concluded study by the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil has hinted at the possibility of babies breastfed for longer, having better chances of turning into more well-educated and intelligent adults than their counterparts.
Researchers in Brazil studied nearly six thousand children, right from their birth, for the past three decades. And, this exhaustive study has been able to gather an idea of the long-term influences of breastfeeding for the very first time. About 3,500 of these babies are now thirty-year-old adults and have accepted an invitation to be interviewed and take IQ tests for the study.
And, it turned out that those adults who had been breastfed for longer were more intelligent, were well-educated and successful adults than those babies who weren’t breastfed for long. The breastfed babies went on to spend longer at school and earn more. Moreover, the longer the babies were breastfed, the better they seemed to be doing in life.
While, we know that breastfeeding increases a child’s IQ levels, the study aimed at, as explained by Dr Bernardo Lessa Horta, understanding whether breastfeeding translated into greater intelligence and better prospects as an adult at least until the age of thirty. The study also helped determine if there breastfeeding could impact a person on an individual or societal level.
The study began in 1982 when breastfeeding was not restricted to one socio-economic group. Most mothers breastfed their babies irrespective of their affluence or education. Breastfeeding was evenly distributed across all classes. Therefore, adults born to lower socio-economic groups, but were breastfed longer, happened to do equally better in their lives.
However, a study published in the Lancet Global Health journal, states that they one needs to consider family income at the time of birth, genomic ancestry, prenatal schooling, maternal age, birthweight, maternal smoking during pregnancy, and the type of delivery, to prevent any of such factors distorting the results.
While, the researchers did find that the breastfed babies went on to become more intelligent with higher education and better earning, they looked for any long-term benefits. It turned out that those babies who were breastfed for 12 months, had a higher IQ than those who were breastfed for less than 6 months. These children also had more schooling years and earned at least £ 70 more every month, which translates to more than one-third the average income level.
Nonetheless, there is every evidence in other studies that the nutritional value of mother’s milk contains long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids that promote fetal brain development. There is also evidence that a particular genotype passed on to the babies from their moms might help have higher IQ than other breastfeeding babies. Horta and his team are observing what applies in the cohort. While exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of the baby’s life is strongly recommended by the World Health Organization, Horta also suggests that babies who are breastfed for the first six months derive most of the benefits than the a baby who is breastfed for longer does. However, he also notes that it’s hard for mothers to breastfeed for longer.
Exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months is recommended by the World Health Organisation. Horta said babies who had been breastfed for six months enjoyed most of the benefits than babies who were fed for longer. “Mothers should breastfeed for as long as possible,” he says, but he recognizes that extended breastfeeding is not always easy for women.
While the benefits of breastfeeding are rather common, protection from infections, lowered risk of SIDS, and lowered risk of obesity in the baby. The study has hinted at the benefits of breastfeeding for a prolonged time, translates into increased intelligence and higher earning ability for the baby when he grows up.
