Hello, my name is Leah Jabs and I am a University of North Dakota
Student Nurse. I have done some research and I am very interested in the
topic of breastfeeding and intelligence. Through research of this topic I
have come to find it as a very controversial subject.
        Gale and Martyn (1996) noted that breastfeeding does not appear to
result in higher intelligence scores in adult life. In their findings
exclusively breast-fed infants gained slightly higher scores. They
commented that after adjustments for extraneous factors there was no
association with intelligence and method of feeding.
        Alan Lucas (1992), led the team that found the IQ effect. His
results showed that preemies fed their mother's breastmilk as newborns had
a significant higher IQ score. Interestingly, the children of well-off,
highly educated mothers who chose to give breastmilk but weren't able to
had scores similar to no breastmilk babies.
        The most recent research I could find comes from Horwood and
Fergusson (1998). This team reported over a 18 year longitudinal study of
over 1000 children, those who were breastfed as infants had both better
intelligence and greater academic achievement. They also cited the
importance of DHA in the neurological development of children. The authors
said the findings proved valid even after accounting for the fact that
breastfeeding mothers in the study tended to be older, with above average
standards of living, and didn't smoke during pregnancy- factors that could
indicate the children came from more intelligent families in the first
place.
        My question to you as health care professionals is what do you
tell your patients when asking advice on the benefits of breastfeeding and
intelligence? Also, has your opinions been swayed over the 20 years of
debate and recent information? Thanks for your time and I would appreciate
your thoughts on this issue. Leah Jabs, University of North Dakota Nursing
Student.

        Gale, C.R., & Martyn, C.N. (1996). Breastfeeding, dummy use, and
adult intelligence. The Lancet, 347, 1072-1076.
        Horwood, L.J., & Fergusson, D.M. (1998). Breastfeeding and Later
Cognitive and Academic Outcomes. Pediatrics, 101, E9.
        Lucas, A.M., Cole, T.J., Lister, G., & Leeson, P.C. (1992).
Breastmilk and Subsequent Intelligence Quotient in Children Born Preterm.
The Lancet, 339, 261-264.


Leah Jabs
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