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(Ivanhoe Newswire) -- Want your son or daughter to get to the top of the social ladder? New research says breastfeeding may be one way to help them get there.
Researchers from the University of Bristol in the United Kingdom followed more than 3,000 children across England and Scotland from birth as part of another study on diet and health that started in 1937. Information on breastfeeding and changes in social class was available for 1,414 patients who are now all in their 60s and 70s.
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Results of the study show people who were breastfed as infants were 41-percent more likely to climb the social ladder than their bottle fed counterparts. Researchers also found the longer the child was breastfed, the greater the chance of moving up the ladder. Even after adjusting for other factors that could influence upward mobility, the findings held true.
Researchers speculate the results could be explained by the potential benefits of breast-feeding on brain development, which could result in better performance in school, more opportunities for better jobs, and increased earning potential.
Authors of the study say, "Our original hypothesis was that if breastfeeding really does improve health and increase stature and IQ, then breastfed infants might be more likely to show upward social mobility than those who were bottle-fed. The relevance of this finding ... is that it provides indirect support for the suggestion that having been breastfed may have long-term effects via associations with intermediate factors related to social mobility, such as growth, health or IQ."
This article was reported by Ivanhoe.com, which offers Medical Alerts by e-mail every day of the week. To subscribe, click on: http://www.ivanhoe.com/newsalert/.
SOURCE: Archives of Disease in Childhood, doi: 10.1136/adc.2006.105494
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