Influence of Breast-feeding and Parental Intelligence on Cognitive Development in the 24-Month-Old Child

Abstract

This study was designed to analyze the relationship between breast-feeding and mental development at 24 months of age, independently of the influence of other factors. A total of 238 babies born between October 1995 and February 1998 were enrolled in an observational prospective cohort study. Cognitive development was assessed using the Bayley Infant Development Scale. The results of multiple linear regression analysis showed that infants breast-fed for longer than 4 months scored 4.3 points higher on the mental development scale than those breast-fed for less time. No differences were found in psychomotor development as a function of feeding regimen or duration. The positive linear correlation observed between parental IQ and mental development scores at 24 months was also statistically significant (mother: r = 0.39; p < 0.001; father: r = 0.43; p < 0.001). It may be concluded that breast-feeding for longer than 4 months has a positive effect on the child's mental development at 24 months of age. Parental intelligence also appears to influence cognitive development.

Increasing the length of parents' birth-related leave: The effect on children's long-term educational outcomes

“…Most of these studies find (short-run) positive effects of longer breast-feeding (Kramer et al, 2008;Gómez-Sanchiz et al, 2004;Elwood et al, 2005;Richards et al, 2002) whereas other studies find no effect when controlling for family background information (Silva et al, 2006;Zhou et al, 2007). 4 The results in these studies cannot always be generalized, though.…”

The Nickel Concentration in Breast Milk during the First Month of Lactation in Yazd, Center of Iran

“…The maternal nutrition is very important during lactation, and it is at the forefront of priorities in health programs [3]. The components of the breast milk promote infants' protection against infectious diseases, increasing the intelligence quotient (IQ) as well as the emotional and psychological development of the infants [4]. Lack of exclusive breastfeeding, mostly during the first 6 months, leads to more than one million preventable deaths annually [5,6].…”

Promoting factors of physical and mental development in early infancy: a comparison of preterm delivery/low birth weight infants and term infants

“…Maternal smoking during pregnancy has been related to impaired cognitive development [21]. In a study on 2-year-old children, Gómez-Sanchiz et al reported that the parents' educational background and family's social class were related to the child's mental development [22]. Developmental delays in 1-year-old children (12-18 months) have been reported to be correlated with maternal depression during pregnancy [23].…”

“…It was reported that long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids, docosahexaenoic acid, and arachidonic acid, all found in breast milk, support neuron development [40]. Moreover, increased maternal responsiveness promoted by the infant's suckling [41] also has a favorable effect on infant development, and mothers who engage in breast-feeding are generally more educated than formula-feeding mothers [22]. This also may have a favorable effect on infant development.…”