March 19, 2015
Michael Sawyer, File/AP
Gut bacteria in exclusively-breastfed children didn’t seem to react as much when solid foods were being introduced, researchers found.
Cow's milk might give you muscles, but
mom's milk might give you more money — at least that's the finding of a recent
breastfeeding study that followed up with the grown children of 6,000 mothers whose breastfeeding habits were part of a 1982 study.
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The study subjects were divided into five groups based on how long they were breastfed and were asked to complete IQ tests and answer questions about income and educational achievements.
"Adult children who had breastfed for at least 12 months had an average IQ that was four points higher, had nearly an additional year of schooling, and earned roughly $104 (U.S.) more each month."
What researchers found is that the benefits of breastfeeding appear to linger well into adulthood.
The longitudinal study, published in the journal The Lancet Global Health and reported on by The Huffington Post, found the longer the duration of breastfeeding (up to 1 year), the greater the benefits.
Adult children who had breastfed for at least 12 months had an average IQ that was four points higher, had nearly an additional year of schooling, and earned roughly $104 (U.S.) more each month.
The most recent breastfeeding statistics by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show 77 percent of infants born in the U.S. in 2010 started out breastfeeding, but only 49 percent were still being breastfed at 6 months, falling short of the World Health Organization's recommendation of 6 months to 2 years.
Read the entire Huffington Post article here.
