Breastfeeding up to six months of age has a significant protective effect against attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) for children, a new study suggests.
The study bolsters a growing body of research on the beneficial effects of breastfeed for brain development and immune function.
Researchers used data from nearly 40,000 Norwegian families that showed how long children were breastfed and also symptoms of ADHD at ages 3, 5 and 8.
“We found that the longer a child was exclusively breastfed (up to 6 months), the lower the level of ADHD symptoms at ages 3, 5 and 8 years,” one of the study’s authors told MedicalXpress.
All breastfeeding showed a protective effect, but the longer the duration and intensity, the greater the effect.
The effect was most pronounced in infants who were exclusively breastfed up to six months of age.
The researchers believe heredity is still the clearest risk factor for ADHD, but their study shows that lifestyle factors may also play a key role in the onset of the condition.
According to 2022 data from the CDC, over 11% of children aged 3-17 have been diagnosed with ADHD.
Boys have a significantly higher percentage of diagnosis over girls—15% vs 8%.
Prevalence of diagnosis has risen significantly from the early 2000s, when it was about 6%.
The majority of children are treated with medication, and about 44% receive behavioral treatment.
5 Responses
Calm down and focus on the titties.
Wow… Just say powdered baby formula causes ADHD along with other stuff. Perhaps even autism…..
I have a family member who breastfed one of two boys. The one she breastfed was diagnosed with ADHD, the one who didn’t definitely doesn’t have it, and ended-up going to an Ivy League. I guess it’s not always that way, but maybe it’s this way on average.
As usual, Big Pharma causes the problem with drugs (chemicals) then offers the solution involving more drugs. This happens daily. Mother takes NSAID, baby becomes toxic, a few years later the child is given amphetamines, and today he’s an adult living on the streets hooked on fentanyl and staring at the ground for hours. Big Pharma is now No. 4 cause of death in USA.
By Way of Truth thou shalt do war. Exemptincome . org
It is more like 50% of USA kids are useless retards or won’t work or can’t work, and unsuitable for military or anything else.
The rich evil running this should all be in jail, but will never sniff one in the republics.