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Does breastfeeding at six months predict cognitive development?
N R Wigg1, S Tong, A J McMichael
1Child and Youth Health, Adelaide, South Australia.
Insights
Breastfeeding shows a small, non-significant positive effect on long-term cognitive development. This study found minimal advantages in intellectual development for breast-fed children compared to bottle-fed infants.
Area of Science:
- Developmental Psychology
- Pediatrics
- Human Cognition
Background:
- The impact of infant feeding methods on intellectual development remains a subject of debate.
- Understanding long-term cognitive outcomes related to breastfeeding is crucial for public health guidance.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between breastfeeding at six months and cognitive development up to adolescence.
- To quantify any potential benefits of breastfeeding on intellectual functioning in a longitudinal cohort.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 375 children born in Port Pirie, South Australia (1979-1982) was studied.
- Cognitive assessments were performed at ages 2, 4, 7, and 11-13 years.
- Statistical analyses adjusted for sociodemographic, environmental, and biomedical factors.
Main Results:
- Breastfed children showed a small, statistically non-significant cognitive advantage across all assessment ages.
- Point advantages ranged from 0.8 to 3.4 across different cognitive tests and age points.
- The observed benefits of breastfeeding on cognitive development were minimal in magnitude.
Conclusions:
- Breastfeeding appears to have a very small beneficial effect on cognitive development.
- The study suggests that factors beyond feeding method significantly influence long-term intellectual outcomes.
- Further research may be needed to explore subtle effects or other contributing factors.
Abstract:
There is controversy over whether the method of feeding in infancy affects intellectual development. We investigated the relationship between breastfeeding status at 6 months of age and long-term cognitive development in a cohort of 375 children born in Port Pirie, South Australia, between 1979 and 1982. Cognitive assessments were conducted at ages 2, 4, 7 and 11 to 13 years. After adjustment for sociodemographic, environmental and biomedical factors, a small, statistically non-significant, beneficial effect of breastfeeding on cognitive functioning was observed. Compared with the bottle-fed children, the breast-fed children had a 3.4 (95% CI -0.1 to 6.9), 1.3 (-2.3 to 4.9), 1.2 (-2.0 to 4.4) and 0.8 (-1.9 to 3.5) point advantage on the Bayley Mental Developmental Index at age 2 years, the McCarthy General Cognitive Index at age 4 years and the Wechsler Full-Scale IQ at ages 7 and 11 to 13 years, respectively. Our data suggest that any beneficial effect of breastfeeding on cognitive development is quite small in magnitude.