Infant feeding 'may affect brain'

Infant feeding 'may affect brain'

news.bbc.co.uk

London researchers found preterm babies fed enriched formula milk in their first weeks consistently outperformed other premature babies in IQ tests.
At the age of seven or eight, the difference was particularly notable in boys: those fed the normal diet had a verbal IQ 12.2 points lower on average than those fed the enriched formula.
These days many preterm babies are fed a highly-enriched formula milk.

(visit the link for the full news article)

Very interesting news! Of course, IQ tests are only one (much criticized) way of measuring intelligence, but even still, the implications of this study are numerous and far reaching.
I believe that a lot of our traits and abilities have their roots in our infant years. One person that comes to mind is William Sidis.

I wonder if the American Psychological Association will change it's view after these findings?

They [APA] state there is little evidence to show that childhood diet influences intelligence except in cases of severe malnutrition.
Text, Pg. 88

Also didn't realize that some subjects in this study are 16 years old, so this has been going on for quite some time.



news.bbc.co.uk
(visit the link for the full news article)

It is tough to really judge the validity of this study without any real numbers, unless of course I overlooked the part where they mentioned how many children were involved in the study.

Lead researcher Dr Elizabeth Isaacs said: "It is not clear whether this just relates to preterm infants, who have very specific development issues.

That quote makes me think that the study wasn't all that big. I think there are a lot of benefits to breast fed babies and I would need a much more official study done on a large scale to convince me that formula would be a better choice. Especially as someone who believes in conspiracy theories, it is even harder for me to believe that corporate manufactured formula is better than natural breast milk.

Lets not forget the breast feeding than compared to formula.

there is many conflicting research nbut here is one any way.

Results demonstrated increased duration of breastfeeding was associated with statistically significant increases in IQ assessed at the ages of 8 and 9; reading comprehension and math ability assessed at ages 10 to 13; teacher ratings of math and reading assessed at ages 8 and 12; and higher levels attained in school leaving exams.

The authors concluded that breastfeeding is associated with a small but detectable increase in child cognitive ability and educational achievement and that these effects are broad and extend into childhood and early adulthood.
www.infactcanada.ca...

Just thought it be nice to add

Breast feeding (from a milk bank) was included in this study with similar results, apparently. That doesn't affect my opinion of breast feeding however. That opinion being it is always superior to formula and especially cow's milk. No infants should be drinking cow's milk. The majority of people are lactose intolerant to some extent although often not noticed, and reactions are magnified in infants resulting in recurring vomiting or in some cases intestinal bleeding. Goat's milk is a little better as fewer people react to it, but it is still no replacement for human breast milk.

Here's a chart comparing milks to formula... www.saanendoah.com....

Will more nutrients result in improved brain development? I don't doubt it. But the way to get the nutrients into the baby is to have mommy eat healthy.

reply to post by watch_the_rocks


Interesting find - it would be helpful to know how well socialised they are by comparison or rather what differences there are in terms of emotional intelligence and stability. Personally I worry that these kind of studies do detract from the benefits of breast feeding - which I believe the US has some of the lowest figures - while some, including those affected by HIV and Hepatitis cannot and should not breast feed I feel the majority of mother's should be actively supported in choosing breast feeding. I nursed my son until he was 14 months and he is as strong as an ox, happy and well adjusted - it may be that he would be that way anyway, but I like to take some of the credit for it.

A breast fed child receives vital immunity from the mother, it is virtually free, the child is less likely to suffer gastric upsets and infections, the nurturing bond between mother and child is easily established and you don't have to carry endless bags around with you.

While I think the study has value, I do think that money would be better spent supporting mother's who struggle with the concept of breastfeeding. It is hard work, especially when you have to return to work as I did when my son was six months old, and there is a strange social stigma attached to it.

Newsflash: Growing children adapt to environment. News at 11.