Breastfeeding Briefs

New this week:

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease later in life:

Having been breastfed in infancy is associated with a lower average body mass index (BMI) and a higher average HDL (high-density lipoprotein or “good” cholesterol) level in adulthood, even after accounting for personal and maternal demographic and CVD risk factors that could influence the results,” said Nisha I. Parikh, M.D., M.P.H., author of the study and a cardiovascular fellow at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Mass.

A lower BMI and high HDL both protect against CVD.

(link)

Breastfeeding & IQ are genetically linked - This study shows that breastfeeding increases I.Q. for most children. For around 10% of children, however, breastfeeding has no effect on I.Q. due to a lack of a particular gene variant:

This study looked at how long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAS), which are present in human milk but not in cow's milk or most infant formulas, are metabolized. LC-PUFAS in breast milk, the authors said, is believed to enhance cognitive development because the fatty acids are required for efficient neurotransmission and are involved in neuronal growth and regeneration.

(link)