Skip to main content * CNN.com /HEALTH * * * * * *   [SEARCH ] [GO] Study bolsters link between breast-feeding, intelligence MAIN PAGE   WORLD Study bolsters link between * U.S. breast-feeding,   WEATHER intelligence * BUSINESS ---------------------------   SPORTS * POLITICS --------------------------- Click Here LAW CHICAGO (AP) -- Breast-fed babies may grow up to be SCI-TECH smarter adults, according to research that bolsters the SPACE evidence linking nursing and intelligence. HEALTH ENTERTAINMENT Most previous studies did not measure breast-feeding's TRAVEL effects on IQ into adulthood, and the few that did so EDUCATION ignored factors such as parents' education and social IN-DEPTH status, said the researchers, who took such variables into account. Click Here QUICK NEWS In their study of 3,253 Danish men and women, the more LOCAL babies were breast-fed through nine months of age, the COMMUNITY higher they scored on intelligence tests in their late MULTIMEDIA teens and 20s. Breast-feeding past nine months had no E-MAIL SERVICES additional effect on scores. CNNtoGO ABOUT US/HELP The link can probably be explained by the effect of nutrients in mothers' milk on the developing brain and CNN TV benefits from the close physical and psychological what's on relationship breast-feeding involves, researchers said. show transcripts Mothers who take time to breast-feed may spend more time CNN Headline interacting with their youngsters throughout childhood, News which also could affect intelligence, the researchers CNN said. International askCNN In the study, mothers had been questioned about their breast-feeding practices when their youngsters were a EDITIONS year old. CNN.com Asia CNN.com Europe Those who had been breast-fed for seven to nine months CNNenEspanol.com scored an average of about six points higher on IQ tests CNNArabic.com than those whose mothers said they nursed for less than set your edition one month. [Languages ] [Time, Inc.] That gap "is not the difference between an Einstein and a mentally retarded child," said study director June Click here for Machover Reinisch. But she said it could be the our advertiser difference "between normal and bright-normal, or bright-normal and superior." Reinisch is director emeritus of the Kinsey Institute for Research in Sex, Gender and Reproduction. The study appears in Wednesday's Journal of the American Medical Association. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be breast-fed exclusively for their first six months, citing evidence that breast milk is nutritionally superior, reduces the incidence of infection and may enhance mental development. Few participants in the latest study had been bottle-fed exclusively, though about 1,000 had nursed for less than a month. The study was funded in part with grants from the National Institutes of Health. Malla Rao, a scientist at the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, said that the study overlooked factors that could help explain the results -- such as whether participants had dropped out of school -- but that the findings agree with those of most previous studies. Copyright 2002 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. --------------------------------------------------------- * RELATED SITES: • The National Institute of Child Health and Human Development • Journal of the American Medical Association Note: Pages will open in a new browser window External sites are not endorsed by CNN Interactive. HEALTH TOP STORIES: • FDA approves new way to treat breast cancer • Baby boomers will lack geriatric-trained docs • The woes of the instant family • Ancient folk remedy 'lowers cholesterol' • Insurance industry sues over cloning ads (More)  Search [CNN.com ] [ ]  [Find]   * Back to the top * © 2002 Cable News Network LP, LLLP. An AOL Time Warner Company. All Rights Reserved. Terms under which this service is provided to you. Read our privacy guidelines. Contact us. *