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Association between breast feeding, child development and behaviour
J Golding1, I S Rogers, P M Emmett
1Unit of Paediatric and Perinatal Epidemiology, University of Bristol, UK.
Insights
Breastfeeding is linked to higher intellectual ability in children, with longer durations showing greater effects. Fresh breast milk is effective, but pasteurization may negate benefits, and more research is needed on confounding factors.
Area of Science:
- Pediatrics
- Neuroscience
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Numerous studies suggest a correlation between breastfeeding and enhanced intellectual development in children.
- This association appears dose-dependent, with longer breastfeeding durations correlating with more pronounced cognitive benefits.
- Evidence indicates that fresh breast milk, whether administered directly or via tube, is effective, while pasteurized milk may not confer the same advantages.
Purpose of the Study:
- To synthesize existing evidence on the relationship between breastfeeding and cognitive outcomes in children.
- To explore potential mechanisms, including fatty acid composition and reduced infection rates, underlying the observed cognitive benefits.
- To identify gaps in current research, particularly concerning neurological dysfunction and childhood behavior.
Main Methods:
- Systematic review and meta-analysis of population studies and studies on low birthweight infants.
- Analysis of data on visual acuity and its association with breast milk composition.
- Examination of studies investigating the impact of breastfeeding on early infections.
Main Results:
- Eight out of ten population studies and all three studies on low birthweight infants support a positive association between breastfeeding and intellectual ability.
- Breastfeeding is also linked to enhanced visual acuity, potentially due to specific fatty acids in breast milk.
- Bottle-fed infants show a higher incidence of early infections like gastroenteritis, which may impact cognitive development.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding is consistently associated with improved intellectual outcomes in children, though confounding factors require further investigation.
- The unique fatty acid profile of breast milk is a potential mechanism for enhanced cognitive and visual development.
- Further research is warranted to explore the effects of breastfeeding on neurological function and childhood behavior, areas with limited current data.
Abstract:
Consistent data are available to suggest that children who have been breast fed are, on average, intellectually more able than their formula-fed contemporaries. This has been shown in eight of 10 population studies and all three studies of low birthweight infants. In general, the longer the child has been breast fed the more pronounced the effect. There is evidence that breast milk that has been pasteurised before feeding does not have this effect, but that fresh breast milk is effective whether the milk is delivered by tube or by the breast. However no studies have been able to have both sufficient statistical power and the ability to allow for other confounders such as parental ability, parental IQ and other factors that might explain these findings. Additional data from studies of visual acuity show an association between breast feeding and enhanced vision which is hypothesised to be due to the unique fatty acid composition of breast milk. The differences in intellectual development might also be related to these fatty acids. Alternative explanations for the effect on intellectual development concern the possible consequences of early infections, particularly gastroenteritis, which are more common in bottle-fed babies. In contrast with the many publications on cognitive function and breast feeding, there was only one on neurological dysfunction (showing a protective effect of breast feeding) and one on childhood behaviour (using the teacher's assessment no relationship with breast feeding was found). Further research is needed in both areas.