Breastfed babies ‘grow up smarter, earn more’

Zee Media Bureau/Shruti Saxena

New Delhi: Breast-feeding has many advantages for children and it has yet again been proven as a new study suggests that babies who are breastfed for longer stretches have higher IQ levels in adulthood.

As per a Brazilian study, which tracked the development of 3,500 newborns for over 30 years, found that women who breastfeed their babies for longer periods of time, have babies who have higher IQ levels as adults and also higher earning potential.

According to experts, the fact as to how a mother invests in producing her offspring plays a crucial role and also since breast milk is a good source of long-chain saturated fatty acids, it helps in producing bigger brains in babies, possibly leading to a higher IQ.

However, breast-feeding is not the only reason that has an effect on a child's mental ability, other factors like mother's education and family income at the time of birth of the child are also taken into consideration.

The study has been published by The Lancet medical journal.

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