Breastfeeding can ward off ADHD in kids

 Breastfeeding can help protect against Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, the most commonly diagnosed neurobehavioural condition in children and teens, a new study has found. Dr Aviva Mimouni-Bloch of Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and Head of the Child Neurodevelopmental Center in Loewenstein Hospital, and her fellow researchers set out to determine if the development of ADHD was associated with lower rates of breastfeeding. 

    They completed a retrospective study on the breastfeeding habits of parents of 3 groups of children: A group that had been diagnosed with ADHD; siblings of those diagnosed with ADHD; and a control group of children without ADHD and lacking genetic ties to the disorder. 
    The researchers found a clear link between rates of breastfeeding and the likelihood of developing ADHD, even when typical risk factors were taken into consideration. Children who were bottle-fed at three months of age were found to be three times more likely to have ADHD than those who were breastfed during the same period. In their study, the researchers compared breastfeeding histories of children from six to 12 years of age at Schneider's Children Medical Center in Israel. 
    Researchers found children with ADHD were far less likely to be breastfed in their first year of life than kids in other groups. While researchers do not yet know why breastfeeding has an impact on the future development of ADHD, they speculate it could be due to the breast milk itself. 
    It may also be due to the special bond between mother and baby during breastfeeding. The study appears in 
B re a s t f e e d i n g Medicine. PTI