FOR years, health workers have argued breast is best and claimed that breastfeeding your child can help guard against childhood diseases and allergies.
But in the largest breastfeeding trial ever undertaken, a Canadian scientist claims to have found conclusive proof that breastfeeding your child can also lead to a higher IQ.
Campaigners have now called for better support services for women who
are breastfeeding their children, claiming a lack of support leads many women to give up before their babies are six weeks old.
Professor Michael Kramer, from McGill University in Montreal, who led the study, said: "The effect of breastfeeding on brain development and intelligence has been hotly debated.
"While most studies have been based on association, we can now make a causal inference between breastfeeding and intelligence because of the randomised design of our study."
The study, which took place over six years, is believed to be the largest of its kind ever undertaken, involving 14,000 children at 31 different maternity hospitals in the eastern European state of Belarus.
Half the mothers in the study were enrolled in a programme which strongly encouraged long-term breastfeeding, while the other half were allowed to choose whether or not to breastfeed.
The study was designed to remove factors such as a mother's intelligence and social class – which can have an influence on whether women choose to breastfeed.
At the age of six and a half, children who were exclusively breastfed scored 5.2 points higher in tests of overall intelligence.
They also scored 7.5 points higher in tests of verbal intelligence and 2.9 points in tests of non-verbal intelligence.
Children's mental ability was assessed by IQ tests administered by doctors and teachers who rated their performance in reading, writing, mathematics and other subjects.
The teachers gave children on the breastfeeding programme a significantly higher rating in both reading and writing.
Belinda Phipps, chief executive of the National Childbirth Trust (NTC), which provides counsellors to help women with breastfeeding, said people "shouldn't be surprised" by the results.
According to the latest NTC figures, 76 per cent of babies in the UK are initially breastfed.
However, by the end of one week, only 45 per cent of mothers have resisted the urge to reach for a bottle.
After six weeks, only 44 per cent of babies in Scotland and 49 per cent of babies in England and Wales are still exclusively fed on breast milk.
Ms Phipps added: "About 90 per cent of women want to breastfeed.
"We welcome this paper because it is another piece of evidence which shows the benefits of breastfeeding.
"We now need research to show whether (the rise in intelligence] is to do with breast milk or the act of breastfeeding."
A LIFETIME OF BENEFITS RESEARCH into the benefits of breastfeeding has shown it offers health advantages which can last a lifetime.
Immunities passed on in a mother's milk mean breastfed babies are less likely to develop chest infections or stomach upsets.
They are also less likely than their bottlefed counterparts to develop eczema, asthma and diabetes in later life.
Mother's milk also seems to improve the functioning of the immune system. A study in 1990 showed breastfed babies developed more antibodies after vaccination than those who were bottlefed.
Breastfed babies have also been shown to develop a greater resistance to allergies, dental decay and even childhood cancer.
Women who have breastfed are at lower risk of ovarian cancer, hip fractures and bone density. Breastfeeding may also provide protection against multiple sclerosis, acute appendicitis and tonsillectomy for children as well as rheumatoid arthritis for the mothers.
WEIGHT LINK TO BABY RISKOVERWEIGHT women are more prone to lengthier pregnancies and complications during birth, a new study involving a Scottish scientist claims.
Researchers analysed more than 100,000 women who gave birth between 1998 and 2002 to see what effect a high Body Mass Index (BMI) had on their pregnancy.
About 6.8 per cent of the pregnancies were "postdate" – after more than 42 weeks.
The team found a higher BMI in the first trimester of pregnancy was associated with longer gestation. A change in BMI between the first and third trimesters was also linked with an increased risk of complications.
A team including Dr Fiona Denison from Edinburgh University's Queen's Medical Research Institute analysed data from the Swedish medical birth register.
The study, published in this month's British Journal of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, concludes: "Maternal obesity poses a significant risk to maternal and foetal health."
