Janet Simpson writes:

>My husband and I got to discussing the IQ differences between BF and FF
>babes, and he posed an interesting question.  We know that BM stimulates
>brain cell growth in the infant, but how LONG does BM stimulate brain cell
>growth?

As long as the brain is growing.  The brain does most of it's growing in the
first three to four years of life.  It gets a little bigger after that, with
adult size reached by 10 years of so.  Breast milk for adults therefore
wouldn't do much in term of brain growth (but it's great in coffee when the
bovine milk is all gone :)

Does it stimulate growth as long as the child is BF, or does it
>start to slack off as the child gets older?

It stimulates growth as long as the brain is growing.

If we'd all been breastfed as children, we would be, ON AVERAGE, about 10
points smarter, but that average masks a big range, with some not getting
any advantage, and some getting a huge advantage.  Also, remember that 10 IQ
points difference is much more functionally important the lower on the IQ
scale you go.  Thus, if your IQ is 140 and might have been 150, it probably
would make no functional difference to your life.  However, if your IQ is 90
and might have been 100, that's a big difference.



>There was one great song called "Breastfeeding in the Park" (I think) and I
>would love the words and music.  A tape or recording would do if I could
>find out which record company.  The producer was not responsible for the
>music, but thinks it was performed by Sisters Unlimited.

"Breastfeeding Baby in the Park" composed by Janet Russell, text available
from INFACT Canada Newletter, Spring 1994, recording also on INFACT info
video, 1994, and from Sisters Unlimited, album "No Limits", Manchester,
England, Harbour Town Records, 1991.  Brought to you courtesty of Janna Frelich.


 >
Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.
Associate Professor of Anthropology, Texas A&M University
e-mail to [log in to unmask]