Children who are breastfed are less likely to develop neurological conditions, including autism, a new study found.
Researchers from Israel studied 570,000 infants, about half of which were breastfed for at least six months.
They found exclusively breastfed babies were 28 percent less likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition (NDC), such as autism, ADHD and cerebral palsy.
Breastfed babies were also 18 percent less likely to have delays in language and social milestones compared to babies who were breastfed for less than six months.
Babies who were partially breastfed – possibly supplemented with formula – were 14 percent less likely to have delays.
The reduced risk even persisted among siblings, who would most likely have similar genetic risks if they have the same parents. Those who were breastfed for at least six months were nine percent less likely to have milestone delays.
They were also 27 percent less likely to be diagnosed with NDCs compared to their sibling who was breastfed for less than six months or not at all.
The World Health Organization recommends exclusive breastfeeding for the first six months of an infant’s life, followed by a combination of breastfeeding and the introduction of healthy foods for up to two years.
Breastfed babies were 28 percent less likely to be diagnosed with a neurodevelopmental condition (NDC)
The American Academy of Pediatrics, which follows the WHO’s recommendations, calls breastfeeding ‘imperative’ to public health.
Numerous studies and research have shown breastfeeding has immense health benefits for babies and moms, including boosting the immune system.
Benefits in infants include a reduction in the risk of asthma, sudden infant death syndrome, celiac disease, leukemia, obesity, diabetes and organ damage.
Breastfeeding can also reduce the risk of high blood pressure, diabetes and breast, ovarian and endometrial cancers in mothers.
The researchers said less has been investigated on neurological development and breastfeeding and previous studies looking at this relationship found it was positive but results were limited.
And while this new study, published in JAMA, found a stronger positive correlation, the team did not theorize as to why there is an association.
Additionally, this study was observational and cannot prove that breastfeeding will prevent any NDC.
To investigate a link between breastfeeding and neurodevelopment, the researchers looked at the medical records of 570,532 children in an Israeli national network for routine child development surveillance.
The babies were born after 35 weeks gestation between January 2014 and December 2020 and had no coexisting health problems.
Additional data showed babies breastfed had a 17 percent lower risk of having any milestone delay, such as smiling, tracking and soothing, and a 12 percent lower chance of having a motor milestone delay, which include rolling, crawling and head control.
Breastfeeding for six or more months reduced the risk of having a language NDC by 28 percent and a motor NDC by 24 percent. Additionally, breastfed babies had a 26 percent lower risk of having an undetermined NDC.
While the benefits of breastfeeding were seen after at least six months, they plateaued after 10 to 12 months.
Significant benefits of breastfeeding were seen after at least six months, but they plateaued after 10 to 12 months
The researchers did not publish which specific NDC the children had.
For the purposes of diagnoses, researchers identified language or social NDCs as ADHD, severe behavioral disorder and autism, which has seen a rise in diagnoses.
Autism diagnoses increased 175 percent between 2011 and 2022, growing from a rate of 2.3 to 6.3 per 1,000 people.
Separate researchers have said better screening, raised awareness and a broader diagnostic criteria are driving the surge.
However, autism advocacy groups have said the causes of autism are not fully understood and many experts suggest there isn’t one specific cause.
Motor NDCs included cerebral palsy, paralysis or malfunction of two limbs, and unclassified NDCs included developmental NDC, epilepsy and low development quotient.
Most children had delayed developmental milestones, such as delays in speech, social or motor skills.
And while not hitting a milestone on time does not directly indicate a developmental delay, it is linked with future development issues.
