We’re often told that “breast is best,” and while there are benefits to breastfeeding, a new study reveals that it may not actually lead to smarter children. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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According to a study published in the journal Pediatrics, breastfeeding may not have very much impact when it comes to children’s longterm cognitive development and behavior. In fact, the cognitive effects of breastfeeding actually dwindle off as a child gets older. In other words, breast feeding isn’t necessarily “better” than formula feeding when it comes to a child’s cognitive development. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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Lisa-Christine Girard collected data on nearly 8,000 children in Ireland that were born full-term ― when they were 9 months, 3 years old and 5 years old. They looked at tests measuring vocabulary, cognitive skills and more. While researchers found that children who were only breastfed for six months or more had lower hyperactivity levels and improved problem-solving skills, those advantages were negligible by the time the children turned 5. ⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
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“The difference wasn’t big enough to show statistical significance,” study author Girard, a child-development researcher at University College Dublin, told NPR. “We weren’t able to find a direct causal link between breast-feeding and children’s cognitive outcomes.”
