Breastfed babies are smarter and achieve greater success in life. The longer breastfeeding is, the better, not only to strengthen the baby's immune defenses.
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Breastfed babies are smarter and achieve greater success in life. The longer breastfeeding is, the better, not only to strengthen the baby's immune defenses.
One says so Brazilian study conducted on 6000 children since 1982. Breastfed infants were found to be smarter, more educated, and more salary than others.
Over the past three decades the researchers followed nearly 6000 children in Brazil from birth until today to get an idea of the long-term effects of breastfeeding. Nearly 3500 of them, now adults, have decided to be interviewed and to undergo intelligence tests for the purpose of the study.
Breastfeeding is even more beneficial if it is continued during infancy. For example, according to experts can help increase IQ. With the new study the doctor Bernando Lessa Horta he wanted to understand if this could translate into greater intelligence and better perspectives as adults.
"Our study provides the first scientific evidence that prolonged breastfeeding not only increases intelligence up to at least the age of 30, but also has an individual and social impact by improving the level of education and earning capacity. "- said the expert.
A systematic review it did not take into consideration children belonging to a limited socio-economic group, but evenly distributed in different social groups. However, the study took into account the family income at the time of birth and the parents' educational level, as well as the mother's age, birth weight and type of birth.
Now the study in question has been published in the scientific journal Lancet Global Health and highlights how babies breastfed for 12 months had a 4 points higher IQ compared to those who had been breastfed less than a month. The salary of someone who has been breastfed for a year includes around 70 pounds more per month.
According to the expert, those who have been breastfed for 6 months have obtained almost all the same benefits as those who have been breastfed for a year. L'World Health Organization recommends theexclusive breastfeeding just for the first 6 months of life of child.
Further studies will be needed to investigate the benefits of breastfeeding, but some of them are already evident and should lead to the emergence of more supportive interventions for mothers who would like to continue to breastfeed even beyond 6 months despite the need to return to work.
Marta Albè
Read also:
Breast milk: a super food. Breastfeeding is good for mom and baby
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Breastfeeding: £ 200 for British moms who choose it
