From the ArcaMax Publishing, Health & Fitness Newsletter:
http://www.arcamax.com/news/healthtips/s-564982-530756
DENVER (UPI) -- Breastfeeding was associated with an increase in high
school grade point average and an increase in the odds of attending
college, U.S. researchers said.
The study, published in the Journal of Human Capital, looked at the
academic achievement of siblings -- one of whom was breast fed as an
infant and one of whom was not -- found that an additional month of
breastfeeding was associated with an increase in high school GPA of
0.019 points and an increase in the probability of college attendance
of 0.014.
American University professor Joseph Sabia and University of Colorado
Denver professor Daniel Rees used data from the National Longitudinal
Study of Adolescent Health. They said more than one-half of the
estimated effect on high school grades of being breast fed, and
approximately one-fifth of the estimated effect on college attendance,
can be linked to improvements in cognitive ability and health.
The researchers examined the breast feeding histories and high school
grades of 126 siblings from 59 families.
"The results of our study suggest that the cognitive and health
benefits of breast feeding may lead to important long-run educational
benefits for children," Sabia said in a statement.