• Home Remedies Index
  • Feedback
  • Subscribe
Top 10 Home Remedies
No Result
View All Result
Advertisements
Top 10 Home Remedies
No Result
View All Result

Home » Healthy Living

Breast-Feeding May Increase Children’s IQ? Really?

by Top10HomeRemedies Team
May 28, 2019
2

One of the latest reports on breast-feeding is an example of scientists who really don’t have much to say. This study appeared in Scientific American online, reporting that children who were breast-fed had a higher IQ than those who weren’t.

The details are that the children were studied over the course of seven years, and there were a sizable number of them – 468 to be exact.  You have to give them credit for following that many kids for seven years!

If the child was breast-fed for 3 months, their IQ was 2.1 points higher than those on the bottle. If the child was breast-fed for longer than six months, their IQ was almost double that at 3.8 points higher than those not breast-fed.

mother and baby

Advertisements

Contents

  • Let’s Consider the Basic Facts on IQ Here
  • Maybe It’s the Omega 3 Fats in Breast Milk That Matters Most
  • Breast Milk Contains Fats Essential for Brain Development
  • Is The Scientific Method the Best Way to Evaluate Breast Milk and IQ?
  • Resources:

Let’s Consider the Basic Facts on IQ Here

This is questionable research at best. First of all, an IQ difference of 2 or 3.8 points really isn’t that much different from the control group. Are our standards so low that we have to celebrate an increase of 2 points in IQ?

IQ is measured on a standardized scale, and an IQ of 90 to 100 is average intelligence. If the IQ jumps to above 130, the person is very smart while an IQ of less than 70 is usually considered mental retardation. Why is this research even being reported? An increase in IQ of 10 points or 15 points is newsworthy, not an increase of one to 4 points.

 

Maybe It’s the Omega 3 Fats in Breast Milk That Matters Most

In another study, Harvard School of Public Health researchers found that when moms increased their DHA intake by 100 mg/day, the IQ of the child increased by 0.13. DHA is a type of omega 3 fat.

The EFSA Scientific Panel recommends up to 200 mg DHA for pregnant women while other health care experts recommend up to 300 mg per day. Based on this amount, the increase in IQ would be only 0.13 times three or an increase of less than 1 IQ point.

Sometimes healthcare experts recommend that patients – not necessarily moms – take up to 900 mg. Even still, the IQ increase if the moms were taking 900 mg is still not the IQ of a superbaby we are all looking for.

 

Breast Milk Contains Fats Essential for Brain Development

DHA is essential for the developing brain, and especially vision. DHA is found in breast milk along with other essential fats, carbohydrates, and vitamins, protein, over 200 different types of sugars, up to 600 different probiotic species, digestive enzymes and hormones. Breast milk also contains immune system factors such as antibodies and white blood cells to fight infections and complexes that kill tumor cells.

Advertisements

Unfortunately, the study again is really another example of a research fiasco, and perhaps the results were only reported as a way to explain to the funding department.

Interestingly, when scientists got a little ‘smarter’, they evaluated more than just IQ in infants who consumed breast milk in another study. This time they found that the infants had better motor maturity and were more alert. Now we’re seeing more evidence of effects of breast milk on babies’ health.

Part of the controversy about all this research about breast milk and IQ involves common sense, the experts say.  Moms that touch their children may improve the relationship between mother and baby. Perhaps the interaction between the two humans contributes to the ‘greater IQ’ instead of the breast milk itself. That’s what the scientists are saying at Bar-Ilan University in Israel in the psychology department.

 

Is The Scientific Method the Best Way to Evaluate Breast Milk and IQ?

So far, no food company has been able to duplicate the composition of human breast milk. Isn’t it conceivable that all the good things that ‘spontaneously appear’ in breast milk (as the evolutionists would like us to believe) may somehow contribute to the enormous task of developing that the brain has to go through in early life?

There is the theory of brain neuroplasticity that scientists are agreeing on now – the concept that the brain responds to its environment and changes its neuron structure and neuron matrices to adapt. Babies grow up to children, then teens and all along the way, the automatic functioning of the brain that results in its constant molding and shaping within itself is possibly the stimulus for the IQ development.

Advertisements

Maybe the bottom line is that looking at breast milk and IQ from a scientific narrow-mindedness will never really work and lead us closer to the real truth. What do you think?

 

 

Resources:

Feldman R, Eidelman AI. Direct and indirect effects of breast milk on the neurobehavioral and cognitive development of premature infants. Dev Psychobiol. 2003 Sep;43(2):109-19.

Cohen JT, Bellinger DC, Connor WE, Shaywitz BA. A quantitative analysis of prenatal intake of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids and cognitive development.  Am J Prev Med. 2005 Nov;29(4):366-74.

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/surety-bond-breast-feeding

Advertisements

Comments 2

  1. Laura says:
    8 years ago

    ok lets look at this realistically.

    It is an educated mature woman who can afford to put her career on hold to stay home and breast feed her baby. Not a taco bell cashier highschool drop out!

    I believe that our nations tendency to view breast feeding as a puritanical no-no is highly counter intuitive. But this current fad that breast milk is a cure all is very dangerous! My grand sons mother is convinced that her lactose will cure things like e-coli or anthrax!

    Lets stop inflating the value of something thats our current social agenda!

  2. Anne says:
    8 years ago

    I do not agree that 4 IQ points is insignificant. If, as you say, the average person has an IQ of ~95 points, then that’s a 4.2 percent increase in intelligence, isn’t it? Multiply that by three or four generations, and you’ve got a pretty hefty intelligence increase over only a century or less. I’m guessing that there may be some kind of limit to the benefit though, as wouldn’t the average third world citizen have passed up us bottle-fed Westerners by now?

    I’d be interested to know if there’s an even greater increase in IQ for children who are breastfed for two, three, or even four years. The worldwide average length for breastfeeding is 4.2 years. Apparently it’s just us Westerners who stop at only a few months. When will the scientists test the IQ’s of children who’ve breastfed for four or more years? Seeing if there’s a benefit to that length of time would be really interesting. However, if it turns out that it’s really great for children’s health, working Western women might not take too kindly to the results. Perhaps that’s why nobody looks into it!

    I look forward to somebody doing a truly comprehensive and long term study. Though if a giant corporation can’t figure out how to make money off of breastfeeding, there probably won’t be much research money available for it!

Recommended

face tingling treatment
Home Remedies

Facial Tingling: Causes, Diagnosis, Natural Treatment

by Mahesh Karandikar, MD - Neurosurgeon
July 11, 2019
0

A sudden tingling sensation overtaking your hands, feet, or face is a fairly common complaint reported by people in the...

Read more
Advertisements
how to sterilize baby bottles
Healthy Living

How to Sterilize Baby Bottles: 5 Safe Methods

by Karen M. Walker, MD, FAAP
April 1, 2019
0

The best way for a new mother to establish a nurturing bond with her baby is through breastfeeding. But sooner...

Read more
Advertisements

Homemade

DIY refreshing raw mango drink for summmer months
DIY Homemade

DIY Refreshing Raw Mango Drink for the Summer Months

by Top10HomeRemedies Team
January 29, 2019
2

Fight the intense summer heat with this tasty, healthy drink prepared from the pulp of boiled raw mangoes. This sweet...

Read more
Homemeade recipies to remove unwanted hair from the body

2 Homemade Recipes to Remove Unwanted Hair from the Body

February 19, 2019
Advertisements

Trending

mediterranean diet benefits
Healthy Living

Mediterranean Diet 101: Benefits, Drawbacks, Myths and More

by Miriam Christie, MS, RD, LD, ABD
August 21, 2019
0

The Mediterranean diet emerges from the kind of foods eaten in countries situated along the Mediterranean Sea. These include France,...

Read more
Neem Oil for hair and skin
Healthy Living

Neem Oil for Hair and Skin: 9 Benefits and How to Use It

by Robert Signore, DO - Dermatologist
July 2, 2019
0

Neem is often referred to as Indian lilac as it is endemic to the Indian subcontinent, but its medicinal virtues...

Read more
Advertisements

Don't Miss

consume aloe vera

Different Ways to Consume Aloe Vera for its Health Benefits

by Holly Klamer, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
July 8, 2019
0

Gone are the days when aloe vera was just a potted plant sitting on your windowsill, jazzing up your home...

honeydew melon for health

Honeydew Melon: Origins, Nutritional Value and Health Benefits

by Holly Klamer, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
July 8, 2019
0

Honeydew melon makes for a sweet-tasting and refreshing treat that can take the sting out of the sweltering summer heat....

fava beans for health

Fava Beans: Nutritional Value, Recipes and Health Benefits

by Holly Klamer, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist
July 8, 2019
0

The fava bean, alternatively known as broad bean, is a large, flat, green leguminous vegetable. The earliest record of its...

Apple cider vinegar benefits for women

Apple Cider Vinegar Benefits for Women

by Top10HomeRemedies Team
March 28, 2019
12

Apple cider vinegar is used in a whole gamut of home remedies that offer something for everyone. Along with curing...

Advertisements
how to control hair loss
Common Conditions

How to Control Hair Fall

by Top10HomeRemedies Team
August 5, 2019
2

Long, luscious hair is a desire of many! But it seems very few people are lucky enough to have a...

Read more
Advertisements

All the tips mentioned here are strictly informational. This site does not provide medical advice. Consult with your doctor or other health care provider before using any of these tips or treatments. Read more.

 

Categories: Home Remedies | Kitchen Ingredients | Healthy Living | Pets | Common Conditions | Pregnancy | Healthy Foods

 

  • Contact
  • About Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Subscribe
  • Terms and Conditions of Use
  • Unsubscribe

© 2018 Top 10 Home Remedies

No Result
View All Result
  • Home Remedies
  • Kitchen Ingredients
  • DIY Homemade
  • Healthy Foods
  • Healthy Living
  • Pregnancy

© 2018 Top 10 Home Remedies