Breastfed children are about twice as likely to go on to achieve top GCSE results, an Oxford study has found.
Researchers looked at data from 4,940 pupils in England born between 2000 and 2002.
One third of the children had never been breastfed, with the rest breastfed for different periods. One in ten were breastfed for at least 12 months.
Performance in GCSE exams, taken at the age of 16, was found to increase incrementally the longer children’s mothers had breastfed them. This is probably because nutrients in breast milk boost brain development, the study’s authors said. Breastfeeding for at least four months significantly increased the likelihood of children passing at least five GCSEs.
