A new study from the University of Bergen shows an association between breastfeeding up to 6 months of age and a reduced risk of ADHD symptoms from ages 3 to 8.
Breast milk is the primary source of nutrition for infants. It is uniquely tailored for the child and contains numerous components beneficial for growth and brain development, including long-chain fatty acids, amino acids, antibodies and beneficial bacteria.
"It is well established that psychiatric symptoms and disorders can be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors," says Berit Skretting Solberg, psychiatrist and researcher at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, and senior consultant at Betanien Hospital.
There has been considerable scientific interest in understanding how breast milk and breastfeeding affect brain development and the infant immune system.
Together with her co-authors, Solberg examined the relationship between the number of months an infant is exclusively breastfed (up to 6 months of age) and the child's risk of developing ADHD symptoms. The research is published in the journal Biological Psychiatry.
