Chookie wrote:
In article ,
Sarah Vaughan wrote:

Anyway, it would probably help if I gave the context here - the debate
was about the studies showing a correlation between breastfeeding and
increased IQ, and - if that association is real and not due to a
confounder - what it means in practice. I must say I was never terribly
impressed by the kind of numbers I was hearing - in the studies being
discussed, the average difference was seven IQ points, which just didn't
really sound like that much in practice to me.

From what I remember, all the obvious confounders were removed, and we are
left with a small but measurable difference of nearly half a standard
deviation.

No, it's not a lot, and it won't turn anyone's little Gumby into Einstein. My
suspicion is that the difference is related to the implications of BFing for
health -- infections probably do have a slight effect on brain development in
the first 6mo, and the risk of infection is lowered when a child is BF. But
it's been a while since I read about that study.

I think it's more than that. The long chain fatty
acids and other components more abundant in breastmilk are
known to affect the development of neurons and other parts
of the nervous system. It certainly seems possible that
that could have a direct effect on intelligence.

Best wishes,
Ericka