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Published on: June 4, 2014
Fatty acid composition in breastfeeding and school performance in children aged 12 years
Geertje W Dalmeijer1, Alet H Wijga2, Ulrike Gehring3
1Julius Center for Health Sciences and Primary Care, University Medical Center Utrecht, STR 6.131, PO Box 85500, 3508GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Insights
Breast milk rich in docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and other n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) is linked to better school performance in 12-year-old girls. This association was not observed in boys, suggesting a sex-specific effect of LC-PUFAs on cognitive development.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Developmental Neuroscience
- Cognitive Psychology
Background:
- Breastfeeding is recognized for its positive impact on cognitive development.
- The specific role of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) in this association remains to be fully elucidated.
- Understanding these nutritional influences is crucial for optimizing child development outcomes.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between LC-PUFA concentrations in infant feeding and school performance at age 12.
- To determine if specific LC-PUFAs, particularly docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), influence academic achievement.
- To explore potential sex differences in the relationship between maternal milk LC-PUFA content and child school performance.
Main Methods:
- A population-based birth cohort study compared school performance in breastfed and non-breastfed children.
- Mothers' breast milk fatty acid composition was analyzed for 157 breastfed children.
- School performance was assessed using standardized achievement tests and teacher evaluations.
- Linear and multinomial logistic regression models were employed to analyze the data.
Main Results:
- Girls with higher DHA content in breast milk achieved higher scores on a standardized achievement test.
- Increased percentages of total n-3 LC-PUFA and DHA in breast milk correlated with better Cito-test scores in girls.
- Similar positive associations were observed between LC-PUFA content and teacher-reported school advice for girls.
- No significant association was found between LC-PUFA content and school performance in boys.
Conclusions:
- While sociodemographic and lifestyle factors explain much of the breastfeeding-cognition link, specific fatty acids play a role.
- Higher levels of n-3 PUFAs, especially DHA, in breast milk are associated with enhanced school performance in adolescent girls.
- The findings suggest a sex-specific influence of LC-PUFAs on cognitive outcomes, highlighting the importance of maternal nutrition during lactation.
Purpose:
Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognition. It remains unclear whether long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) play a role in this association. We assessed the association between LC-PUFA concentrations in infant feeding and school performance at age 12.
Methods:
Within a population-based birth cohort, we compared school performance of 277 non-breastfed children and 157 children who had fatty acid composition of their mothers' breast milk measured. Two indicators of school performance were: (1) the score on a standardized achievement test and (2) the teacher's advice regarding a child's potential performance level in secondary education. Linear regression and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the independent association between LC-PUFA content of breast milk and school performance.
Results:
Girls, who received breast milk with a relative high content (above the median) of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), had a higher Cito-test score (β = 2.96 points, 95 % CI 0.24; 5.69) than non-breastfed girls. Among the breastfed girls, each percentage point of higher content of total n-3 LC-PUFA (β = 4.55, 95 % CI 0.43; 8.66) and DHA (β = 7.09, 95 % CI 0.9; 13.3) was associated with a higher Cito-test score. The association between LC-PUFA content and teacher school advice showed a similar pattern. There was no association between LC-PUFA content and school performance in boys.
Conclusion:
Although a large part of the association between infant milk feeding and cognition seems to be explained by sociodemographic and lifestyle-related factors, a relative high content of n-3 PUFAs, especially DHA, in breast milk is associated with better school performance in 12-year-old girls but not in boys.
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