Breastfeeding Won't Make Your Baby Smarter Irish Study Finds

Breastfeeding has numerous health benefits for both mom and baby, but the perception that breast milk will somehow make your baby smarter takes center stage in a recent study from researchers at University College Dublin.

New research, published in the journal Pediatrics, followed 8,000 babies in Ireland and found that those who were breastfed for at least six months outpaced their peers who weren’t when it came to hyperactive behavior. However, that was only in the short term. By the time those same babies made it to five years old, the playing field had leveled.

When the researchers observed cognitive ability in breastfed babies against non-breastfed babies, the difference wasn’t strong enough to note.

“[The difference] wasn’t big enough to show statistical significance,” study author Lisa-Christine Girard told NPR. “We weren’t able to find a direct causal link between breastfeeding and children’s cognitive outcomes.”

“The easy question — do kids who are breastfed have better outcomes? The answer is yes” said one CNN contributor. “The difficult question is: is it breast milk that improves their brain or is it that growing up with parents who are better educated and have better incomes makes a difference?”

landscape with balloons floating in the air

KEEN TO EXPLORE THE WORLD?

Connect with like-minded people on our premium trips curated by local insiders and with care for the world

Since you are here, we would like to share our vision for the future of travel - and the direction Culture Trip is moving in.

Culture Trip launched in 2011 with a simple yet passionate mission: to inspire people to go beyond their boundaries and experience what makes a place, its people and its culture special and meaningful — and this is still in our DNA today. We are proud that, for more than a decade, millions like you have trusted our award-winning recommendations by people who deeply understand what makes certain places and communities so special.

Increasingly we believe the world needs more meaningful, real-life connections between curious travellers keen to explore the world in a more responsible way. That is why we have intensively curated a collection of premium small-group trips as an invitation to meet and connect with new, like-minded people for once-in-a-lifetime experiences in three categories: Culture Trips, Rail Trips and Private Trips. Our Trips are suitable for both solo travelers, couples and friends who want to explore the world together.

Culture Trips are deeply immersive 5 to 16 days itineraries, that combine authentic local experiences, exciting activities and 4-5* accommodation to look forward to at the end of each day. Our Rail Trips are our most planet-friendly itineraries that invite you to take the scenic route, relax whilst getting under the skin of a destination. Our Private Trips are fully tailored itineraries, curated by our Travel Experts specifically for you, your friends or your family.

We know that many of you worry about the environmental impact of travel and are looking for ways of expanding horizons in ways that do minimal harm - and may even bring benefits. We are committed to go as far as possible in curating our trips with care for the planet. That is why all of our trips are flightless in destination, fully carbon offset - and we have ambitious plans to be net zero in the very near future.