Breast feeding linked to intelligence

greenspun.com : LUSENET : Unk's Troll-free Private Saloon : One Thread

Take a look at this

Breast-fed babies may grow up to be smarter adults, according to research that bolsters the evidence linking nursing and intelligence.

Most previous studies did not measure breast-feeding's effects on IQ into adulthood, and the few that did so ignored factors such as parents' education and social status, said the researchers, who took such variables into account.

In their study of 3,253 Danish men and women, the more babies were breast-fed through nine months of age, the higher they scored on intelligence tests in their late teens and 20s. Breast-feeding past nine months had no additional effect on scores.

The link can probably be explained by the effect of nutrients in mothers' milk on the developing brain and benefits from the close physical and psychological relationship breast-feeding involves, researchers said. Mothers who take time to breast-feed may spend more time interacting with their youngsters throughout childhood, which also could affect intelligence, the researchers said.

In the study, mothers had been questioned about their breast-feeding practices when their youngsters were a year old.

Those who had been breast-fed for seven to nine months scored an average of about six points higher on IQ tests than those whose mothers said they nursed for less than one month.

That gap "is not the difference between an Einstein and a mentally retarded child," said study director June Machover Reinisch. But she said it could be the difference "between normal and bright-normal, or bright-normal and superior."

Reinisch is director emeritus of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction.

The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association.

The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breast-fed exclusively for their first six months, citing evidence that breast milk is nutritionally superior, reduces the incidence of infection and may enhance mental development.

Few participants in the latest study had been bottle-fed exclusively, though about 1,000 had nursed for less than a month.

The study was funded in part with grants from the National Institutes of Health.

Malla Rao, a scientist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said that the study overlooked factors that could help explain the results -- such as whether participants had dropped out of school -- but that the findings agree with those of most previous studies.

-- Maria (maria9470@lycos.com), May 08, 2002

Answers

Interesting.

There's a girl here at work that is still breastfeeding her 'baby' at 3 years old! He says, "Momma.....tiddy." and she drops bra right then and there. Hopefully she'll stop once he starts getting a hard- on....

Hell, he may end up being a genius!

-- Deano (deano@luvthebeach.com), May 08, 2002.


Maria:

I guess that explains men's interest in the female breast and, also, why they are more intelligent. ;<))) Note that the latter is not my idea; I stole it from Carlos and, hereby, reference him.

Best Wishes,,,,,

Z

-- Z1X4Y7 (Z1X4Y7@aol.com), May 08, 2002.


There is more than a little irony here. First it demonstrates (once again) that many scientific "truths" are mutable. Many years ago, when I was a babe, the "modern", "scientific" method to nurture a baby was to bottle-feed him/her using a scientific formula. Of course there were corporations who made and sold the formula and bottles and nipples etc. And there were prestigious researchers who designed the scientific formulas that were claimed to be such an improvement on mother's milk. In other words, there were many vested interests in bottle-feeding.

Second, fashions change and change again. The "modern" middle class white woman of the mid 20th century avoided breast feeding precisely because it smacked of lower-classness. Now it is cool to breast feed.

But the poor career gal still has a problem. She can't nurse in the office or boardroom. What to do, bring back the wet-nurse?

-- (lars@indy.net), May 08, 2002.


And another thing---why do men have nipples?

-- (lars@indy.net), May 08, 2002.

Oh, ma! Whydja bottle feed me? I coulda been a contendeh!

-- Little Nipper (canis@minor.net), May 08, 2002.


LN - pretty good imitation of Al Gore. Sure glad he's not the prez!

-- the freaky geek (the@freaky.geek), May 08, 2002.

Don't remember saying just that Z. Did say that breast milk is high in choline which is now proven to enhance brain developement. Most important time however is inutero we learn. Ladies, if you're knocked up take a choline supplement. Makes for smarter kids.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), May 08, 2002.

LOL, LN, one of my favorite lines as you know. Yes, my mom was of the generation of college educated women that were supposed to stay at home and be homemakers. An honorable pastime but, in those days, it did not include natural nursing. Untill the 60s natural nursing was considered primitive.

So my brother and I were bottle-fed and altho our IQ is above average we both have signifant character disorders. I wonder if the study made any correlations between breast feeding and sociopathy.

I didn't suck a teat until age 15. Do I qualify for reparations?

-- (lars@indy.net), May 08, 2002.


Absolutely lars! Tits up ladies!

They're a myriad of things that make people turn out smart, or not. Genetics is at the top of the list but its influence is hard to quantify. Nutrition research is providing concrete info that looks a lot like common sense. What a surprise!

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), May 08, 2002.


I noticed only men responsed on this thread. Hmmmm, maybe there should be a study on that. Oh never mind, we all know the male attraction to the rounded parts of the female. :)

Even when it wasn't 'cool' my mother breast-feed me and my brothers. She was actually born in Italy, so she probably didn't care about the social taboo here. Of course, in Italy the prevailing attitude was that it was the most beautiful thing. But I think that was mostly from the males who watched with longing in their eyes.

I don't think I could breast-feed my children to one year (I stopped after nine months and teeth) let alone three or five years old. That kind of tugging gets pretty old. Come on guys, try to imagine someone pulling on your body parts day in and day out. Oh never mind, teenage boys do it all the time, sorry I forgot. :D

-- Maria (anon@ymous.com), May 09, 2002.



All my kids are smart. Sacrificing my lapdancing career was a small price.

-- helen (not@all.jiggles.are.lucrative), May 09, 2002.

Nine months is fine from what I read. By then they're loaded up with whatever special mom stuff they're gonna get. The long time nursing advocates are a strange bunch.

-- Carlos (riffraff@cybertime.net), May 09, 2002.

Refuting the fruity Fruitarians

-- (bottle fed@fruit.jooce), May 10, 2002.

Moderation questions? read the FAQ