(Montreal) Premature babies who received the greatest amounts of breast milk, both during and after hospitalization in the neonatal intensive care unit, did better in school a few years later, found American and Australian researchers.
Posted at 11:01 a.m.
In particular, breastmilk consumption was associated with higher reading and math scores, and parents of children who consumed the most breastmilk reported fewer ADHD symptoms.
Duration of breastmilk consumption (in some cases up to 18 months of age) was associated with better reading, spelling and math scores.
“We know that premature children are more at risk of developmental delays or difficulties that persist even at school age,” said pediatrician Thuy Mai Luu, medical director of the Neonatal Follow-up Program at CHU Sainte-Justine.
“It is certain that if we can see a beneficial effect of breast milk on the development of the child, that it is a protective measure that can really promote the development of the brain of the child, then I think it is even more important. »
It is not yesterday that doctors [et les parents] know that breastfeeding is by far the best for babies, whether premature or not, and that there are “far more advantages than disadvantages” to doing so, a added Dr. Luu.
Breast milk, she continues, contains components, such as fats, that promote brain development. We also know that breast milk influences the composition of the intestinal flora.
“More and more, we are demonstrating a link between the diversity of our intestinal flora and the development of the brain, and this probably plays through inflammation mechanisms. We know that, basically, breastfeeding promotes a microbiota that is much more optimal,” said Dr. Luu.
Breastfeeding also includes a “relational” component which is very important for the development of the child, she continues. Expressing or breastfeeding “creates a positive interaction between mother and child”.
“Then we know that positive interactions between the mother and the child are a very important starting point for stimulating the development of the child and therefore having a better development or a more optimal development”, underlined the doctor. Luu.
That being said, breastfeeding is not always as simple or as easy as one might think, and we must avoid blaming moms for whom it is more complicated, or even impossible, she adds.
“There are interactions that are easier to establish when breastfeeding, but there is the possibility of replicating these positive interactions without breastfeeding,” recalled Dr. Luu. Promoting sensitive, positive, nurturing interactions for both mother and child is something that is critical in the development of a small baby’s brain. »
The environment in which the baby grows will also have an impact on the development of his brain. Moreover, in the American-Australian study, the beneficial effect of breast milk on brain development was attenuated a little when the researchers took into account the social environment, “like what [ça] plays a lot,” concluded Dr. Luu.
The findings of this study were published by the medical journal JAMA Network Open.