Breastfeeding 'helps to boost IQ' (BBC)

[eppur_se_muova]

More evidence is being put forward that breastfed babies eventually become more intelligent than those who are fed with formula milk.

Canada's McGill University found breastfed babies ended up performing better in IQ tests by the age of six.

But the researchers were unsure whether it was related to the breast milk itself or the bond from breastfeeding.

The study of nearly 14,000 children is the latest in a series of reports to have found such a positive link.

However, one problem has been that some of the research has struggled to identify whether the findings were related to the fact that mothers from more affluent backgrounds were more likely to breastfeed and it was factors related to the family circumstances that was really influencing intelligence.
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more: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/7385097.stm

[madaboutharry]

1. There is no way I believe in this study.

First of all, breastfeeding was decidedly out of fashion during most of the baby boomer years. In fact, I know almost no one born in my generation (the early 1960's) who was breastfeed. Maybe one person. My husband! Who is very smart, but so are a lot of others from the era. Secondly, I personally have known many of my own childrens' schoolmates who were breastfeed and most certainly would not qualify as the sharpest tool in the shed.

[Tumbulu]

3. I was talking to my cousin the lactation specialist

about the old baby formulas that those of us in our 50's + were primarily fed, since breastfeeding was so discouraged by doctors of the day.

First of all, parents made it up themselves with milk and eggs and cod liver oil (yes, with all that DHA that is only now being added to formula). Cow's milk then came from cows grazing in pastures (more DHA) and some sweetening.

So, I do not think that it is reasonable to compare the results of studies conducted today with current formula (dry powder, add warm tap water and shake) and the intelligence or lack thereof of baby boomers.

[Duppers]

4. but how much more intelligent would they be IF they had been

given breast milk for the first couple yrs. of their lives???

I was never breastfed and am dumb as a post...well almost, seriously. ;)

But I booby-fed my son, now a 21 yr. old physics grad student, for over 2 yrs. He scored above the 99.5 percentile in the IQ test that were administered, No shit.

So there! :) :)

[jeff30997]

2. I'm almost 41....

Is it too late for me to improve my IQ? :)

[WildClarySage]

5. All the anecdotal evidence in the world

doesn't mean it isn't so. Study after study shows the benefits of breastfeeding and yet there will always be those who want to say that formula's 'just as good'. Well, it ain't and there's no way around that. It may be adequate, but it's not optimal.

I really wish we had a society that truly valued nursing our children.

[Tumbulu]

6. this is my wish too

All this talk about breast feeding being so easy is not true for many and it makes anyone with any problems getting started think they are inadequate. For all mom's breastfeeding is more work for them (vs the dad)). The breastfeeding mom absolutely needs support. Without that support it may not work out. So, partners of breastfeeding mom's absolutely need to help out big time. The family and the society must all support the mom during this very short but critical time in a person's life.

[Duppers]

7. how can one improve on mother nature's source?

As the old saying goes....in the majority of cases, you can't.

I know it's difficult to breast fed; I had a most difficult time and w/o support I must add, but I did it.
etc., etc.

[Tumbulu]

8. I had a real eye opening experience last year.

A friend's ranch burned killing almost a thousand of his sheep. Of the few remaining ewes many had to have c- sections to give birth and still there were something like 80 orphaned lambs. These orphaned lambs were bottle fed primarily by one woman (a retired engineer who now had a small flock of milk goats). Some of us helped in various ways.

The university provided free c-sections and vet care and milk replacer. This woman, quite the expert in bottle feeding goat kids and lambs said that expired milk from the grocery store with added cream was better than the milk replacers, even though they are scientifically formulated. She got the local grocery stores to donate the out of date milk and cream. I went around collecting goat milk (which is the best substitute for lambs) from my various neighbors who had any extra to spare and drove over once a week with that for these lambs. If she got low on real milk, she would mix it with the lamb milk replacer. What she thought was the main trouble with the replacers was the use the cheapest source of fats, which are vegetable oils. These are far less expensive than cream from mammalian milk. Any business that produces mammalian milk substitutes do this, at least for farm animals.

I thought a lot about how a businesses' first responsibility is to it's shareholders, not it's customers. If fat is fat, why not get the cheapest one around? That is best for the shareholders and some nutritionist at some time must have thought that this was true, maybe some still do. So, a nutritionist makes sure that the ratios of proteins to fats to sugars are correct, but if the goal is to make money, then the cheapest most readily available fats, sugars and proteins are probably sourced first and tried out before trying more expensive ingredients. I suspect that a great deal of effort is made to get the proportions and general flavor acceptable, but as the science improves on understanding differences between each kind of fat, sugar and protein then one would hope that mammalian milk substitutes could be improved.

Unless one absolutely has to bottle feed, I simply cannot understand the risk of feeding formula. Even with farm animals.

I had a really hard time with getting started with breastfeeding, but stuck it out and I never doubt that it was the best food for my daughter. I was very upset when other mom's for whom it was not at all difficult went to bottle feeding as it was still too much work for them.