While scientific studies conducted on animals had already shown that a carbohydrate present in breast milk influenced the neurological development of the baby, the first study of its kind conducted on humans also underlines its role in the cognitive development of the child.
Two out of three women breastfeed their child. Breast milk is already known to limit allergies, promote the baby’s neurological development or protect it from infections. A new study, carried out by researchers at the Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles (USA), shows that a carbohydrate present in breast milk also promotes the cognitive development of newborns, i.e. memory, comprehension, language and learning abilities. The results of this work, conducted for the first time on humans, are published in the journal PLOS ONE.
The first month of feeding is important
Fifty mothers and their babies participated in the study. The researchers analyzed the composition of each mother’s breast milk and the frequency of feeding at 1 and 6 months. Next, the child’s cognitive development was assessed at 24 months using the Bayley-III scale, a standardized infant development test. Thus, the researchers found that during the first month of feeding, the presence of the carbohydrate — a type of oligosaccharide called 2’FL — was linked to higher cognitive development scores in children at 2 years of age. However, when this presence was observed at the sixth month of feeding, it was not linked to good results in terms of cognitive development. Early exposure to breast milk and the oligosaccharide therefore appears to be more beneficial.
Every woman’s breast milk is different
“We know that there are many different components in breast milk and the composition is dynamic, it changes over time and is highly variable between mothers.describes Michael Goran, a member of the scientific team that conducted the study. In addition to identifying the influence of the 2’FL oligosaccharide, we also wanted to determine when it is most critical for child development.” Thus, understanding how important the first month of the baby’s diet is can allow, for example, to supplement the breast milk of women who produce less 2’FL oligosaccharides.
Soon a food supplement?
“For some women, diet is a challenge. For those who are not able to breastfeed or can only do so in the short term, the 2’FL carbohydrate could potentially be offered as an addition to the nutrition their baby is receiving to better support cognitive abilities., says Dr. Paige Berger, co-author of the study. VSThis improvement in cognitive development in the first two years of life raises the question of a possible long-term impact on a child in school and beyond”, she concludes. Hence the importance of ensuring the proper composition of women’s breast milk.
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