Breast really is best if you want a brainy baby:
Just THREE months of breastfeeding boosts development by 30%
·
Babies only fed breast milk have 30% extra growth
in key parts of the brain
·
They have better development in areas which control
language and emotion
·
Those fed breast milk have more white matter which
is used for learning
·
Those only fed formula milk have the least white
matter
PUBLISHED: 11:02 GMT, 7
June 2013 | UPDATED: 11:09 GMT, 7 June 2013
·
1,184 shares
Breast milk boosts brain development in babies by up to 30 per cent,
according to a new study.
Children exclusively fed breast milk for at least three months have up
to 30 per cent extra growth in the key parts of the brain which control language,
emotion, and understanding, say scientists.
The study of under-fours showed children who have breast milk as part of
their diet have a clear advantage when it comes to brain development.
Children exclusively fed breast milk for at least three months have up
to 30 per cent extra growth in the key parts of the brain. Image shows how
white matter develops with age
Research carried out at Brown University, in the U.S., found that by the
time the babies had reached their second birthday a discernible difference
could be seen in their brain structure.
Dr Sean Deoni, an engineering professor and lead author, said: ‘We're
finding the difference [in white matter growth] is in the order of 20 to 30 per
cent, comparing the breastfed and the non-breastfed kids.’
Using Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) brain scans were taken of the
babies who had been fed a diet of breast milk in the earliest stages of their
development, and of those who had been fed formula milk.
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The scans showed that babies fed breast milk alone had the fastest
growth in myelinated white matter - tissue packed full of long nerve fibres
that link different parts of the brain that are used for learning.
The babies who were weaned on a diet of formula were found to have the
least white matter.
Dr Deoni's team carried out the study to see how early the changes in
brain development took place.
‘We show that they're there almost right off the bat,’ he said.
Scans show that babies fed breast milk alone have the fastest growth in
myelinated white matter - tissue packed full of long nerve fibres that link
different parts of the brain that are used for learning
Researchers looked at the brains of 133 babies who were born on time and
came from similar families.
By comparing the myelin in older and younger children they were able to
calculate how breast milk influenced the development of white matter.
The researchers backed up the results of the scans with a set of basic
cognitive tests that showed language performance, visual reception and motor
control were all better in the breastfed children.
The team found that the longer the babies were fed with breast milk the
more developed their brains were, especially in the areas of the brain
associated with movement and coordination.
While the Brown study published in the journal NeuroImage is not the
first to link breastfeeding with improved development in the young, Dr Deoni
claimed it is the first time MRI scans have been used to compare the brains in
breastfed and non-breastfed children.
Dr Deoni said: ‘I think it's astounding that you could have that much
difference so early. I think I would argue that combined with all the other
evidence, it seems like breastfeeding is absolutely beneficial.’
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