Breastfeeding Boosts IQ
According to a study published in Archives of General Psychiatry May 2008, exclusively breastfed babies do have a higher IQ then bottle fed babies. According to the study, when breast fed kids reached the age of 6.5, their IQ test scores were 7.5 points higher on verbal intelligence and 2.9 points higher on nonverbal intelligence and overall 5.9 points higher in IQ. The article went on to talk about how at this point they aren’t sure whether it is the breast milk itself or just the mother/child bond that is responsible for the higher IQ. You can read the entire article on Web MD at http://children.webmd.com/news/20080505/does-breastfeeding-boost-iq
Now to add my own two cents on the subject. My oldest daughter just turned 7 so she is right around the same age as the kids studied. She has always been a very bright little girl. She was reading small words at a very young age and able to comprehend math problems in preschool. She was breastfed for a year.
Now she is in first grade and she is above her class. She just got tested for the gifted program and she scored above average intelligence and superior intelligence on almost all of the tests. They are going to put a program together for her to help her learn and they are even thinking about skipping her to second grade.
I can’t help but think that the breastfeeding is part of the reason she is so smart. With all the studies being done, I really do believe that breast milk and the bonding of nursing results in smart kids. I’m really glad I decided to breastfeed.
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