Breast feeding has been under scrutiny in recent years as to whether it improves the development and intelligence of the child.
Now researchers have found that it is actually the mothers who breast feed that are the ones who make the difference thus dispelling the myth.
The study that took place involved randomly assigning babies to two groups regardless of the mother’s characteristics and was published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
Dr. Michael Kramer of
“They tend to be smarter. They tend to be more invested in their babies. They tend to interact with them more closely. They may be the kind of mothers who read to their kids more, who spend more time with their kids, who play with them more”, he added.
The researchers measured the differences between the two groups using IQ tests administered by the children’s pediatricians and by the ratings of their teachers of their school performance in reading, writing, math and other subjects.
When the results were established the children from the breast-feeding group got the highest score.
The study was launched in the mid-90’s.
