Breast Milk Strengthens Preemies’ Brain Development, Study Says

The benefits of breast milk are no secret. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has long since praised the host of health rewards associated with breastfeeding for both baby and mom. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Edinburgh says breast milk may also bring better brain development in premature babies.

Babies born before their due date sometimes face changes in the part of the brain structure that helps cells communicate with one another, which has been linked to learning and thinking skills later in life.

For the study, researchers at the University of Edinburgh looked at MRI brain scans from 47 babies born before 33 weeks gestation, noting whether they were fed formula milk or breast milk from a mother or donor. Doctors took scans when they reached the average due date age—40 weeks from conception.

Babies who exclusively received breast milk for at least three-quarters of the days they spent in hospital showed improved brain connectivity compared with other babies. The effects were greatest in babies who were fed breast milk for a bigger proportion of their stay in intensive care.

"Mothers of pre-term babies should be supported to provide breast milk while their baby is in neonatal care—if they are able to and if their baby is well enough to receive milk—because this may give their children the best chance of healthy brain development,” says professor James Boardman, director of the Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory at the University of Edinburgh.

It’s an interesting study on the role of early childhood nutrition, which its researchers hope to continue to expand on and learn from their findings. For now, it’s one more way breast milk proves beneficial for baby.

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