Autism and ADHD are childhood developmental disorders, highly talked about in this country. I was doing some reading on breastfeeding rates and both of these disorders and found some interesting conclusions. In the handful of studies I’ve read about, increased rates of breastfeeding and longer durations of breastfeeding were linked with lower instances of each of these disorders. Bottom line, reduce your child’s risk by breastfeeding for as long as possible. It would be great to see more research done in both of these areas.
While the causes and mechanisms of these disorders are still not understood completely, it is encouraging to see that we can reduce risk factors. I’d encourage any mom with concerns about these disorders to breastfeed and continue to breastfeed for as long as possible. A year is the gold standard. However, the benefits multiply even more for nursing beyond a year. And we should remember, any amount of time at the breast is a good thing & should be celebrated.
Here are some links:
The duration of breastfeeding
and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
Kądziela-Olech H*, Piotrowska-Jastrzębska J:
Causes of ADHD
February 26th, 2009 by Ronit Baras
Breastfeeding, infant formula supplementation, and Autistic Disorder: the results of a parent survey
Stephen T Schultz1,2,5*, Hillary S Klonoff-Cohen1, Deborah L Wingard1, Natacha A Akshoomoff3, Caroline A Macera2, Ming Ji2 and Christopher Bacher4
Autism and the Breastfeeding Family
Celeste Land
Vienna VA USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 37 No. 2, February-March 2001, p. 10-11
Vienna VA USA
From: LEAVEN, Vol. 37 No. 2, February-March 2001, p. 10-11
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