Breastfed Babies Not Smarter

Despite what the La Leche League would have you believe, breastfed babies are not smarter than their formula-fed counterparts, according to the the largest study ever to ask the question. The study included 5,475 children and mothers in the U.S. who participated in an ongoing youth development survey. The findings were published today in BMJ […]

Despite what the La Leche League would have you believe, breastfed babies are not smarter than their formula-fed counterparts, according to the the largest study ever to ask the question.

The study included 5,475 children and mothers in the U.S. who participated in an ongoing youth development survey. The findings were published today in BMJ Online First.

The researchers also identified 332 sibling pairs in which one child was breastfed and the other was not. No significant difference in intelligence was found among the breastfed and nonbreastfed siblings.

"The mother's IQ was by far the most important variable, accounting for 70% to 75% of the difference [between children who were and were not breastfed]", researcher Geoff Der, MCS, tells WebMD.

The researchers said that breastfeeding is still better for other reasons, like preventing infections.