The medical benefits of breastfeeding for newborns is well and truly established.
It helps fight infections, it provides them with perfectly tailored nourishment and it promotes a strong bond between mama and baby too.
However, while the short-term effects of breastmilk are heavily documented, the long-term impact is less so.
According to a new study, published in the journal Pediatrics, by age five, there are few cognitive differences between children who are breastfed and children who were not.
The study followed 7,478 Irish children born full term, from the time they were 9 months old. They were then evaluated at three years and again at five years of age.
At three, the children’s parents were asked to fill out questionnaires evaluating vocabulary and problem-solving skills to assess cognition and behaviour. At age five, both parents and teachers were asked the same questions.
And while the researchers found that the children who were breastfed for six months or more had lower rates of hyperactivity and improved problem-solving skills at three, those differences were negligible by the time the child turned five.
Author Lisa-Christine Girard, from University College Dublin, explained to The Independent that previous research showing the long-term benefits of breastfeeding may have been affected by socio-economic factors such as the mother’s education and income.
She also explained that mothers who were more highly educated, better off financially and who engage in less risky prenatal behaviour such as smoking, which can impact on a child’s development, were statistically more likely to breastfeed.
But in this study, even after the data was randomised, Girard stated that “we didn’t find any statistically significant differences between children who were breastfed and those who weren’t, in terms of their cognitive ability and language.”
“We did find direct effect of breastfeeding on a reduction in hyperactive behaviours when the children were three years old. This wasn’t found at five years, suggesting there may be other factors that are more influential as children develop.”
