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. 2016 Apr;31(4):579-84.
doi: 10.3346/jkms.2016.31.4.579. Epub 2016 Feb 22.

Effect of Breastfeeding Duration on Cognitive Development in Infants: 3-Year Follow-up Study

Hyungmin Lee  1 , Hyewon Park  2 , Eunhee Ha  3 , Yun-Chul Hong  4 , Mina Ha  5 , Hyesook Park  3 , Bung-Nyun Kim  6 , Boeun Lee  7 , Soo-Jeong Lee  8 , Kyung Yeon Lee  9 , Ja Hyeong Kim  9 , Kyoung Sook Jeong  10 , Yangho Kim  11
Affiliations

Effect of Breastfeeding Duration on Cognitive Development in Infants: 3-Year Follow-up Study

Hyungmin Lee et al. J Korean Med Sci. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

We investigated the association between breastfeeding and cognitive development in infants during their first 3 years. The present study was a part of the Mothers' and Children's Environmental Health (MOCEH) study, which was a multi-center birth cohort project in Korea that began in 2006. A total of 697 infants were tested at age 12, 24, and 36 months using the Korean version of the Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (K-BSID-II). The use and duration of breastfeeding and formula feeding were measured. The relationship between breastfeeding and the mental development index (MDI) score was analyzed by multiple linear regression analysis. The results indicated a positive correlation between breastfeeding duration and MDI score. After adjusting for covariates, infants who were breastfed for ≥ 9 months had significantly better cognitive development than those who had not been breastfed. These results suggest that the longer duration of breastfeeding improves cognitive development in infants.

Keywords: Breastfeeding; Korean Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (K-BSID-II); Mental Development Index.

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Conflict of interest statement

DISCLOSURE: The authors have no potential conflicts of interest to disclose.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Mental development index (MDI) scores of infants who were breastfed for different durations at 1 (A), 2 (B), and 3 years (C). *,†Significant difference from formula only. Dunnett’s post-hoc test (P < 0.05, P < 0.01, respectively). MDI indicates mental development index in Korean Bayley Scales of Infant Development II (K-BSID-II).
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