Breastfeeding Improves Brain Power

The question now is does breastfeeding make kids smarter or do smart moms breastfeed and transfer those genes to their babies? And why aren't girls impacted? It will be interesting to see how this plays out.

FROM NBC: Breastfeeding for six months or more could equal straight "A's" for kids. A study of more than one thousand ten year-olds in Australia finds boys who were breastfed for at least half a year had higher scores in math, reading and spelling.

There was a small reading advantage for girls. The researchers say the benefit remained even after they adjusted for gender, family income, and how often the child was read to. Researchers followed 2,868 children born in Australia from 1989-1992. After adjusting for gender, family income, and how often the child was read to, academic data was collected for 1,038 eligible children at 10 years of age.

Here's more from WebMD

FROM CNN: Many studies have shown that babies who are breastfed tend to be physically healthier than babies raised on cow's milk or formula. Now new research finds feeding your child naturally could help when it comes to academics later in life.

a study in the journal "pediatrics" found that babies who were mainly breastfed for the first six months of life scored higher academically when they got older, than children who were not breastfed.

the aim of this study was to examine the relationship between duration of breastfeeding, and educational outcomes.

Australian researchers looked at more than 28-hundred babies born between 1989 to 1992, and then collected academic data on half of the youngsters at age 10. Young boys who were breastfed for six months or longer were found to have higher academic scores in math, reading and spelling, than boys who were breastfed for shorter periods. In girls, the benefits were not as significant.

Study authors noted not only does the nutrition found in mother's milk help brain power, but a number of other things could be in play. According to investigators, mothers who choose to breastfed tend to have higher socioeconomic status and higher intelligence, and tend to be older and more educated, and that these factors could transfer to their children.

Researchers say the study adds to growing evidence that breastfeeding has beneficial effects on a baby's development.

-NewsAnchorMom Jen

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