Researchers have found a connection between breastfeeding and the development of a child’s brain. Researchers concluded in a study of more than 17,000 infants from newborn to 6 ½ years that prolonged and exclusive breastfeeding improved brain development. A similar study of nearly 4,000 children showed that babies who were breastfed had significantly higher scores on vocabulary testing at 5 years of age in comparison with children who were not breastfed. Higher levels were directly correlated with a longer duration of breastfeeding. Preterm infants with low birth weight that received breast milk improved their brain development scores at 18 months when compared with preterm infants who weren't given breast milk. Follow up research indicated that the scored held true even at 30 months. Other findings confirmed that babies are less likely to be hospitalized, suffer adverse side effects to vaccines and significantly reduced the risk of dying as well. Child...
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