Breastfeeding for longer can help children perform better on exams.
Children who were breastfed for at least a year were 38 percent more likely to get a high score – the equivalent of an A or A* – in their English GCSE exam, compared to children who were not breastfed, it found from a research.
These kids were 39 percent more likely to get the same highest grade in their final math exam.
Breast milk contains important polyunsaturated fatty acids, which are believed to stimulate brain development.
The study, which involved nearly 5,000 children in England, found that those who were breastfed for at least four months were about 12 percent more likely than children who were not breastfed to pass at least five GCSEs, including English and maths , with the equivalent of a low B or a high C grade.
Children who were breastfed for at least a year were 38 percent more likely to get a high score – the equivalent of an A or A* – on their English GCSE exam, compared to children who were not breastfed, it turns out from a research
Some previous studies suggesting that children who are breastfed longer are more intelligent have drawn criticism.
This is because they failed to account for the fact that children who are breastfed for longer tend to have better educated and affluent mothers whose children may do better in school because of these benefits.
But the new research found a link between exam results and breastfeeding, even when taking into account parents’ socioeconomic position, based on their job and education level.
It also took into account mothers’ intelligence, which was tested by giving women a 20-word vocabulary test.
However, the researchers note that the difference in exam results associated with whether teens are breastfed is “modest,” and they didn’t look directly at other factors, including children’s family wealth, that could make a further difference to their performance in school.
Dr. Reneé Pereyra-Elías, lead author of the study from the University of Oxford, said: ‘Better exam results seem to be one of the other well-known benefits of breastfeeding, and so breastfeeding should be encouraged, but only where possible. women.
“Those who are unable to breastfeed need not feel guilty or concerned about their child’s school performance, as the differences we saw in exam results related to breastfeeding were not significant.”
The study, published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood, looked at 4,940 children born between 2000 and 2002 who were part of the previous Millennium Cohort Study.
Nearly a third of these children had never been breastfed, according to a survey of mothers that was part of the study.
The rest of the children were sorted into groups based on how long they were breastfed, ranging from less than two months to more than a year.
The Oxford researchers analyzed the GCSE results for these public schoolchildren, some of whom were graded from A* to F, but most were given the new modern grading system of 1 to 9.
Children who were breastfed for at least a year were 25 percent less likely to fail their English GCSE, by less than a 4, or the equivalent of a D or lower under the old system, compared to children who were not breastfed at all.
Researchers looked at children’s total scores at 90, based on the new grading system, for the eight highest GCSEs achieved by each student, counting English and maths twice, as they are a core part of the curriculum.
Children who were breastfed for more than four months scored two to three points higher on this total GCSE score, compared to children who were never breastfed.
In general, children who were breastfed for longer did better on exams, although the strongest results were seen in children who were breastfed for more than a year.