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Breast is Best for College
Filed under: Opinions
A dose of good grades? Photo: littleREDelf/Flickr
Beyond nutritional perfection, one new sibling study says breast may be best for higher grades and college. After researching 126 children from 59 families to compare infant siblings who were breast-fed versus bottle-fed, results revealed Mommy's milk is associated with substantial increases in high school grade point average and the probability of attending college.
Oh great. I apologize to my first-born son. But before mommy guilt sets in, remember this: The operative word here is associated -- researchers acknowledge this study has not delivered a definitive causal link. Yet it's hard to ignore sibling data. Babies were raised by the same milk-mom, in likely the same home.
I loved breastfeeding, but admit I was better in the mommy dairy barn the second time around. Yet my youngest, who breast-fed nearly twice as long as the oldest, was a veritable breast-latch-monkey capable of feeding from nearly any angle. She also seemed to crave breastfeeding more intensely. But perhaps I simply let her breastfeed longer because I knew she was likely my last.
Does anyone have a personal testimonial on their children's breast versus bottle academic performance? Do share.
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ReaderComments (Page 1 of 1)
6-23-2009 @ 2:06PM
Jamie said...There are so many factors that create a child of intelligence. It would be great if we could control it by giving them the gift of breast milk. I chose to breastfeed my two boys. Not for the intelligence, but for the health aspect. Neither one of my boys have had an ear infection. I was sold on the idea of having a child who gets sick less often. I have found data showing that breast fed babies and non best fed babies very by a small amount in IQ scores. I see the intelligence gained by breastfeeding as a bonus. I think it is great for Mothers to breastfeed, but should not feel guilty if their family choice is to formula feed.
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6-23-2009 @ 2:19PM
mel said...Oh well. I guess I won't even send my kids to school. And here I
thought that the value my husband and I, both with advanced degrees, place on education and the one on one time we spend with the kids on things like reading and creative projects would put them on a successful academic path. Silly me.
Reply
6-23-2009 @ 2:27PM
J said...I was not breast fed and was the first person in my family to go to college. I graduated Magna Cum Laude. My younger sister was breast fed and did not even graduate high school.
I hate to break it to people but having worked in the school system you cannot tell who was or was not breast fed. I don't believe it helps w/any type of intelligence level at all.
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6-23-2009 @ 11:28PM
CLM said...Oh please give me a break! There are many, many, many people who were not breastfed (for a variety of reasons) who have gone on to college and gotten advanced degrees. This has just gotten completely out of hand.
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6-23-2009 @ 11:55PM
SKL said...You bring up a point that suggests maybe we are looking at this from the wrong angle. What if a child's strong breastfeeding instincts reflect an innate adaptability that likewise improves his chances for academic success?
Ever study I've heard of focuses on the mother's actions and feelings, but what about the child's role in breastfeeding success? Maybe a study on the child's success factors could help more families to have a positive and beneficial breastfeeding experience.
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6-24-2009 @ 12:08AM
lmw said...Mothers who breastfeed are more educated and more intelligent to begin with. It is no surprise that their babies are more intelligent as a result of breastmilk's many benefits as well as growing up with a more intelligent parent(s).
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6-24-2009 @ 9:17AM
Chrysee said...Correlation studies like this are silly and should be taken with a load of salt. "Mothers who breastfeed are with their infants more often, and more parental involvement leads to better academic performance." "Mothers who breastfeed are more educated themselves and thus more likely to take interest in their child's academics." These are possible reasons perhaps. Or it could be something different entirely. There are too many biological and environmental influences on intelligence and academic success to promote breastfeeding alone as a panacea.
But all those silly glass-of-red-wine-a-day correlation studies are a good excuse to enjoy some wine. So why not breastfeed if you are able, just in case.
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7-25-2009 @ 9:28PM
Becca said...Well, from a very limited study, I can say that my personal results are mixed. All five of my siblings and me were breastfed, most of us for multiple years, and I must say the first four of us had good to great grades and went to college. Three of those four of us have graduated college either Magna or Summa cum Laude. Two of those three have or are pursuing masters degrees. And one of those two is pursuing a doctoral degree. The last two are younger. One had awful academic marks, but is still college bound and excited about it. The other is an excellent student in high school. I think our upbringing probably had more to do on our achievements than our breastfeeding, however they do believe there may be a connection between the high amounts of fatty acids in breastmilk and brain development. So there could be something.
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1-02-2011 @ 8:21AM
R. Godfrey said...Nursed our oldest daughter until she was three weeks old, did not nurse our middle daughter at all and nursed my youngest until she was 6months old, Sorry to tell you, But my middle daughter has the Highest IQ and went to collage. It has to do with the genes, and the environment and nursing may help will emotional attachment. However, I don't feel that nursing is the end all for intelligence.
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