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Breastfeeding duration and non-verbal IQ in children

Ayesha Sajjad1, Anne Tharner2, Jessica C Kiefte-de Jong3

  • 1The Generation R Study Group, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Department of Epidemiology, Erasmus MC, Rotterdam, The Netherlands.

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health
|February 21, 2015
PubMed

Insights

The link between breastfeeding and child intelligence is largely explained by socioeconomic factors and maternal IQ. This study found no confirmed cognitive benefits of breastfeeding duration.

Area of Science:

  • Child development
  • Cognitive science
  • Public health

Background:

  • Breastfeeding is often linked to enhanced cognitive development in children.
  • Methodological challenges like confounding and recall bias obscure the precise relationship.
  • The exact nature and mechanism of this association remain debated in scientific literature.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between breastfeeding duration and non-verbal intelligence in children.
  • To identify and adjust for potential confounding factors influencing the breastfeeding-IQ relationship.
  • To determine if breastfeeding confers a direct benefit on a child's intelligence.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of a population-based cohort study with 3761 participants from fetal life.
  • Examination of breastfeeding duration's association with child IQ at age 6 years.
  • Statistical adjustment for maternal and paternal lifestyle, sociodemographic factors, child factors, and maternal IQ.

Main Results:

  • An initial association of 0.32 IQ points per additional month of breastfeeding was observed.
  • This association significantly attenuated to 0.09 IQ points after adjusting for confounding variables.
  • Categorical analyses of breastfeeding duration showed associations largely disappeared after controlling for confounders.

Conclusions:

  • The observed association between breastfeeding and child IQ is primarily attributable to sociodemographic factors, parental lifestyle, and maternal IQ.
  • The study's findings do not support a direct beneficial effect of breastfeeding duration on child intelligence.
  • Further research may be needed to explore other potential influences on cognitive development.
Abstract

Keywords:
BREAST FEEDINGCHILD HEALTHCOGNITION

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