Breastfeeding Is Linked To Brain Size

According to new research, breastfeeding is related to intelligence.

The scientists found that there is a direct relationship between the size of the mammalian brain including humans and the amount of time breastfeeding.

Longer time, bigger brain.

These findings tend to add one more weight to the argument that "breast milk is the best" even though the researchers say they are not sure whether the energy supplied by milk or what nutrition makes the difference.

"That supports the theory that breastfeeding and brain development are related to each other," said the researcher Professor Robert Burton at Durham University, as quoted by the Telegraph (29/03/11).

"What we don't know at this time is whether there is something in breast milk that helps the brain to grow.

"Its parts have been a hot topic among scientists for some time.

"At present we cannot say for sure that formula milk is not an adequate substitute."

Prof. Barton and his team studied 128 species of mammals including humans, to see if there was a relationship between how much time was "invested" to nurture them and the size of their brains.

They found that longer periods of pregnancy and longer sucking directly affected brain size.

For example, in comparison, a deer that is roughly as heavy as a human, only gets pregnant for seven months and breastfeeds for up to six months.

This causes the size of the brain to be six times smaller than the human brain.

"In general terms it does support the idea that 'the best breast milk' and the guidelines of the World Health Organization that suggest that you have to give ASI for 18 months or two years is indeed true," said Prof. Barton.

Three years ago a study involving nearly 14,000 children found that those who were sucking scored significantly better on IQ tests.

Another study published recently shows that babies who are sucking are better at reading, writing and math activities at around five, seven, 11 and 14.

Breastmilk has long been known to strengthen the baby's immune system which helps fight ear infections, abdominal pain and even asthma.

So if a mother really cares about the future of her children, then she knows that her milk has been designed in such a way as to benefit her children.

This new discovery was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.