London - The longer the child is breastfed – ideally exclusively – the higher the intelligence scores are at the age of seven, researchers say.
The study also found breastfeeding can enhance language skills from the age of three.
The US researchers recommend babies are solely fed on breast milk for the first six months and are given the chance to breastfeed until a year old.
Earlier research has shown breast milk protects babies against stomach bugs, chest infections, asthma and allergies, and confers health advantages in later life.
But only a small number of women in the UK breastfeed their babies for long periods and the number of new mothers starting in 2011 fell slightly to 73.9 percent.
Barely two percent of babies are breastfed exclusively for six months. The latest study included 1 312 mothers and children who had taken part in Project Viva, a long-term investigation of pregnancy and child health in the US.
It found seven-year-olds breastfed for the first year of life were likely to score four points more in a test of verbal IQ than bottle-fed children.
Verbal intelligence scores at seven increased by 0.35 points for every extra month of breastfeeding. Three-year-olds also benefited, having higher scores in a picture language acquisition test the longer they had been breastfed. Exclusive breastfeeding had the greatest effect.
The US team of researchers reported the findings in the journal JAMA Pediatrics. The scientists, led by Dr Mandy Belfort, from Boston Children’s Hospital, said: “Our results support a causal relationship of breastfeeding in infancy with receptive language at age three and with verbal and non-verbal IQ at school age.”
But Clare Byam Cook, an independent breastfeeding counsellor, said: “It’s best to keep an open mind about what your baby’s individual needs are. Many babies feel hungry if they only get breast milk and most need solids before six months.” - Daily Mail