Breastfeeding and cognitive development in the first 2 years of life

Abstract

The relationship between breastfeeding and cognitive development in the first 2 years of life was examined in a cohort of children being followed in a study of risk factors in development. A significant difference between bottlefed children, children breastfed [less-than-or-equals, slant]4 months and those breastfed >4 months was found on the Mental Development Index of the Bayley Scales at ages 1 and 2 years, favoring the breastfed children. At age 6 months, the direction of the relationship was the same but did not reach significance. Supplementary regression analyses examining the strength of the relationship between duration of breastfeeding and cognitive development similarly showed a small but significant relationship between duration of breastfeeding and scores on the Bayley at 1 and 2 years. Alternative explanations for the results are discussed.breastfeeding cognitive development early childhood

    Similar works

    Full text

    thumbnail-image

    Available Versions

    Last time updated on 06/07/2012