Breast milk increases the IQ of babies

There is nothing better for a newborn than breastmilk. It becomes, in fact, the food par excellence for both newborns and the baby, mainly because contains everything the child needs during the first 6 months of life, favoring its development, its growth, its maturation and above all its health.

It stands out obviously for being a ecological food, completely natural, full of essential nutrients and rich in essential nutrients for the development and health of the newborn.

In the particular case of breastfeeding, the truth is that the benefits are not only important for the baby, but also for the mother. While the baby provides all the nutrients you need during your first months of life (protecting you from diseases such as colds or bronchiolitis by containing compounds that strengthen your immune system), the mother helps accelerate recovery after childbirth, being It is easier to lose the weight gained during pregnancy and also tends to prevent the onset of hypertension, postpartum depression and anemia.

A recent study has found that those children who were exclusively fed with breast milk during the first months of life (especially during the first three months) obtained scores about six points higher in intelligence tests at the age of six years than those who were not breastfed.

In the words of the doctor Michael S. Kramer, from McGill University and Children's Hospital of Montreal in Canada, "Feeding children exclusively with breast milk for a long period of time makes them smarter" , although it is not yet clear why this type of lactation increases the development of Cognitive abilities.

Although, it is believed, this could be due either to the contact between the mother and the baby, or to something that - in itself - is found in the milk.

The benefits of breast milk

In addition to knowing what breast milk helps in the development of cognitive abilities of the newborn, especially when breastfeeding is maintained at least during the first 6 months of life, the truth is that they are not the only qualities that contribute.

We can also observe other properties and virtues that we only find in a food as wonderful and unique as breast milk. They are the following:

Nutritiously superior to any other alternative.
Bacteriologically safe
It is always fresh.
Reduces the risk of allergy than any other food.
Reduces morbidity due to respiratory, gastrointestinal, urinary and otitis infections.
Enhances immunity.
Reduces the risk of allergic diseases (eczema and asthma).
Reduces the risk of mortality due to Necrotizing Enterocolitis and Sudden Death.
It favors an adequate development of the jaw and the other structures of the mouth.

The importance of exclusive breastfeeding

Breastfeeding should be the exclusive food of babies until at least 6 months of age. This is what the World Health Organization (WHO) believes and defends, since it becomes definitive in the ideal food for the growth and healthy development of infants.

This has been revealed by a wide variety of scientific studies, which, at a population level, have found that Exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months is the optimal way of feeding for babies.

Then, from the sixth month of life, you can start receiving complementary foods, but without abandoning breastfeeding until 2 years or more. This is advised not only by WHO itself, but also by UNICEF.

For example, it is also recommended that breastfeeding begin immediately in the first hour of life, that only the infant receives breast milk, that it is made on demand (that is, as often as the child wants), and also that Do not use bottles, teats or pacifiers to avoid what is known as nipple confusion syndrome.

Via | Archives of General Psychiatry (print edition) This article is published for informational purposes only. It can not and should not replace the consultation with a Physician. We advise you to consult your Trusted Doctor. ThemesFeeding the baby