Breastfeeding linked to better child behaviour--study

The study found babies nurtured on breast milk are less prone to display behavior problems by the time they turn five than those who are reared on formula.

According to experts, moms who breastfeed their babies for just four months can cut the risk of their kids becoming badly behaved by almost a third.

Lead author of the study, Dr Maria Quigley of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University stated, "We just don't know whether it is because of the constituents in breast milk, or the close interaction with the mum, or whether it is a knock-on effect of reduced illness in breastfed babies.

"But it does begin to look like we can add fewer behavioural problems as another potential benefit of breastfeeding."

Link between breastfeeding and behavioural problems explored
In order to assess the impact of breastfeeding on child behaviour, researchers from universities of Oxford, Essex, New York and from University College London carried out a nationwide study.

They examined the feeding habits of 9500 of babies born in UK between 2000 and 2001, who participated in the wider Millennium Cohort Study.

The analysis revealed that in total 29 percent of the infants delivered after a full-term pregnancy and 21 percent pre-term babies were breastfed for at least four months.

As a part of the study, the parents were asked to fill out a Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) designed to evaluate the behaviour of their children at nine months and again at two-yearly intervals, till they turned five.

Findings of the study
It was noted that 16 percent of the kids raised on bottle milk exhibited troublesome traits such as clinginess, restlessness, anxiety, hyperactivity, lying or stealing compared to just six percent of those who were breastfed.

After taking into account influences such as socio-economic status, mother's education, age, and smoking habits, the study found a 30 percent higher risk of potential behavioural problems among bottle-fed babies.

Peter Kinderman, professor of clinical psychology at Liverpool University stated, "Positive bonding between parent and child is known to be fantastically helpful for development.

"This is more evidence of the importance of breastfeeding and mother-baby attachment, not just for physical health but also for the psychological development of the child.”

The findings of the study are published in the journal 'Archives of Disease in Childhood.'