CONFIRMED: Breastfed children more intelligent than others

Many of the benefits of breastmilk have not been fully understood especially as they relate to Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in children. Scientists, in their latest research, have now discovered that breastfed children display higher level of intelligence than those not breastfed, writes Seye Adeniyi.

It has been said and proven that breastmilk remains the best food for new born babies and every nursing mother is encouraged to feed her baby with it. Apart from being practical, cheap, safe, hygienic and immediately available at the correct temperature, breastmilk also provides all the food and drink a baby needs for at least the first four to six months of life. Even during the weaning period, breastmilk still provides the baby with important and needed nutrients for adequate growth and development.

But the only argument about the breastmilk is whether it actually boost or promote higher intelligence quotient, (IQ) in babies. Some experts believe that though there should not be controversy or argument about the fact that the best way to feed a baby is to expose him/her to breastmilk immediately after birth and the feeding should be exclusive except in people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA), in which they are usually advised to avoid breasfeeding their babies in order to prevent mother-to-child transmission of the virus.

In some quarters however, the belief is that as good as breastmilk is, especially for the wellbeing , good health and proper development and growth of babies, it is not a major determinant of Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in children, neither does breastmilk contribute to the brilliant performance or native intelligence of children. Some experts have also submitted that though mature breastmilk is still very different from cow’s milk or baby’s formular, nevertheless, it has no direct link or association with children’s IQ, “native intelligence, brilliancy or performance hinging their arguments on several reasons and factors.

But scientists in their latest research findings have put to rest all the arguments and “controversies” concerning breastmilk and Intelligence Quotients (IQ), bridging such/all discordant results with an evidence based study which reveals that indeed breast feeding leads to higher IQ in babies with the right gene.

According to Professor Terrie Moffitt, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at Duke University and King’s College in London, “breastmilk actually contributes to good intelligence quotient (IQ) in babies that are exclusively breastfed and this was confirmed through a research study in which we identified a gene which does this,” the don stated.

“There has been some criticism of earlier or previous studies about breasfeeding and Intelligence Quotient (IQ) that they did not control socioeconomic status, or the mother’s IQ or other factors. Our findings take an end-run around those arguments by showing the physiological mechanism that accounts for the difference. But we discovered that there are genes which yield higher IQ if children were breastfed”, he stated.

On how the scientists in their research got this breakthrough, Professor Terrie Moffitt, who is also the lead researcher and co-author of the latest finding which has already been published in the proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, stated that, the researchers examined more that 3,000 breast-fed infants in Britain and New-Zealand and found that the children’s Intelligence Quotient IQ was an average of 6.8 points higher if the child had a particular version of gene called FADS2.

This difference, he further stressed, remained after the researchers were able to rule out the influence of socioeconomic status, the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) scores of the mothers themselves, birth weight and gestational age as factors.

‘The arguments about intelligence has been about nature and nurture for at least a century. We are finding that nature and nurture work together. However, ninety per cent of the children examined had at least one copy of version of the gene which yielded higher IQ if they were brestfed. The IQ scores of the other 10 per cent were not influenced by breastfeeding”, brain science at Duke University further stated.

Professor Terrie Muffit further explained that the gene was studied because it produces an enzyme found in breast milk which has been associated with higher IQ. The enzyme, he also said, helps in converting dietary fatty acids into the polyunsaturated fatty acids that have been shown to accumulate in the human brain during the first months after birth. This enzyme and the fatty acid, it shoulld be pointed out, have been added to many infant formulas since the first finding about breastfeeding and IQ appeared a decade ago, but tests have not been able to show whether they have an impact. “It may be so because those studies did not actually account for whether or not the gene was present or not. Even laboratory studies on rodents and primates fed supplemental fatty acids have shown enhanced abilities in tests of learning, memory and problem solving,” Moffitt affirmed.

Moreover, medical experts like Dr. (Mrs.) O.O. Sekoni of the University College Hospital (UCH), Ibadan, Prof. Isaac Folorunsho Adewole, Prof. Oladipo Ladapo, Elizabeth Disu of Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH), Ikeja, and host of other experts have at different occasions talked extensively about the numerous advantages of mothers breastfeeding their children exclusively.

For instance, Dr. (Mrs.) Elizabeth Disu, a consultant paediatrican at Ayinke House, LASUTH, once said that apart from boosting Intelligence Quotient (IQ) in children, breastfeeding provides closeness and contact between the mother and child which also help in psychological development of a child.

Breastmilk contains only about 1.2 per cent protein and some of the proteins nourishes the baby and some play a role in the immune system of the child. Mature breastmilk also contains enough fats to supply over 50 per cent of the baby’s energy needs.

Lipase is another important enzyme breastmilk supply to the baby. This is one of some seventy enzymes in breastmilk, and lipase is responsible for the almost total digestion and absorption of the fats. Unlike cow’s milk, breastmilk contributes to the healthy development of the brain and eye retina by supplying the long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids - docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and Arachidonic acid (AA). This is especially important for preterm babies and some full-term babies who cannot synthesize these fatty acids efficiently from the essential fatty acids linoleic and alpha - linolenic acid.

Mothers should also realise the fact that there are lower levels of most minerals in human than in cows’ milk, but infants absorb more of the important minerals such as calcium and iron. Furthermore, breastmilk contains high concentration of vitamin A, C and E. and prevent certain illness in children.