Children who are born preterm are said to be at a heightened risk of lower academic achievement be it in maths, reading and other skills are at risk for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

A new study now finds that children who get greater quantities of maternal milk during and after time in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) shows a greater academic achievement, higher IQs and symptoms of ADHD reduced. The study was conducted by observing preterm infants for seven years and the results are published in JAMA Network Open.

Mandy Brown Belfort, MD, MPH, corresponding author, Department of Pediatric Newborn Medicine, sakd that, "Our study finds that there may be long-term neurodevelopmental benefits to providing maternal milk to preterm infants. A lot of families are dedicated to the idea of providing maternal milk but may face steep challenges. Our findings emphasize the importance of providing support for initiating and sustaining lactation because maternal milk at this early age can provide benefits years later."

Children were evaluated until the age of 7. The team also checked on maternal milk dose - the amount of milk the baby received every day and the maternal milk duration - for how long parents continued breastfeeding and this predicted numerous neurodevelopmental outcomes. The outcomes were academic achievement, Verbal and Performance IQ, symptoms of ADHD, executive function and behaviour.

The team could find that higher maternal milk intake was linked with higher Performance IQ and higher reading and maths scores. Parents also stated fewer ADHD symptoms for children those who has consumed more of maternal milk during infancy period. The duration of maternal milk intake also had an effect with higher reading, spelling and math scores.

Sources - News Medical and Life Sciences