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Breast-Feeding is Best

Are Breast-Fed Babies Smarter than formula fed babies? An 18-year study by John Horwood and David Fergusson comparing the IQ test scores and rates of high school completion of 1,000 children says that might be the case.

According to the researchers at Christchurch School of Medicine in New Zealand breast-fed infants may have higher intelligence and greater academic achievement than formula-fed infant. The investigators believe that the DHA found in mother's milk - and not in formula - may be the reason.

Taking social, familial and prenatal factors into account, the study found that breast-fed babies were 38 percent more likely to graduate from high school than formula-fed infants.

The study could not conclude that DHA in mother's milk was the sole cause of improved scores, however the authors say that the outcome of this study was similar to others that show DHA-supplemented formulas improve early neurological
development in infants.

Source - Pediatrics 1998;101(1):37985