Children who are exclusively breastfed during their first six months of life show lower risks of ADHD symptoms, a new study has found.
Researchers at the University of Bergen in Norway found an association between how long mothers breastfeed and the likelihood of their child developing ADHD symptoms.
“It is well established that psychiatric symptoms and disorders can be influenced by both genetic and environmental factors,” said Berit Skretting Solberg, a psychiatrist and researcher at the Department of Biomedicine, University of Bergen, and senior consultant at Betanien Hospital.
“We found that the longer a child was exclusively breastfed (up to six months), the lower the level of ADHD symptoms at ages three, five, and eight years,” added Solberg.
The researchers analysed data from more than 37,000 children born in Norway between 1999 and 2009, tracking breastfeeding patterns and following up at ages three, five and eight.
