A study by the British Medical Research Council has discovered that, despite the many health benefits, breastfeeding is not responsible for children developing higher IQs.  The belief to the contrary came about because other studies have shown that children who were breastfed do consistently have higher IQs.

Ok, so it would appear I’ve just completely contradicted myself. Let me clarify.  There is no medical reason for breastfed children to be more intelligent.  The explanation is that intelligence is hereditary and generally a woman who chooses to breastfeed will have higher IQ herself and give her children a more mentally stimulating home environment, as opposed to sitting little Chardonnay in front of a day’s worth of “Tweenies” videos and saying “Be quiet, Mummy’s texting!” every so often.

The findings, published on the British Medical Journal website, were made by scientists from Edinburgh University after studying data on over five thousand children in the USA.

No doubt little George W. has been looking for ways to top up his IQ since the revelation earlier this year that he has the lowest IQ of any US president, save one, in the last century.  We’re sure Barbara Bush will be breathing a sigh of relief at these conclusions. 

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Keywords: Breastfeeding, British Medical Journal, British Medical Research Council, Edinburgh University, George Bush, Intelligence, IQ