Breastfeeding Appears To Have Little Impact On Long-Term Cognitive Development, Behavior

In “Science Now,” the Los Angeles Times (3/27, Kaplan) reports, “The longer a mother nurses – and the longer she does so exclusively – the bigger the benefits,” research indicates. One “perceived benefit of breastfeeding is the possibility that it boosts a baby’s brain.”

CNN (3/27, Kounang) reports a study published in Pediatrics, however, indicates “breastfeeding has little impact on long-term cognitive development and behavior.” Researchers arrived at this conclusion after following “7,478 Irish children born full term, from the time they were nine months old,” then evaluating them “at three years and again at five years of age.”

Related Links:

— “For babies, breastfeeding is still best, even if it doesn’t make them smarter (though it might),” Karen Kaplan, Los Angeles Times, March 27, 2017.

Posted in In The News.