Six Months of Breastfeeding Tied to Lower Odds of Developmental Delays
By Lori Solomon HealthDay Reporter
TUESDAY, March 25, 2025 -- Exclusive or longer duration of breastfeeding (at least six months) is associated with reduced odds of developmental delays, according to a study published online March 24 in JAMA Network Open.
Inbal Goldshtein, Ph.D., from the KI Research Institute in Kfar Malal, Israel, and colleagues estimated the independent association between breastfeeding and attainment of developmental milestones or neurodevelopmental conditions. The analysis included data from 570,532 children identified through a national network for routine child development surveillance.
The researchers found that 52.1 percent of children were breastfed for at least six months. Breastfeeding for at least six months was associated with fewer delays in attaining language and social or motor developmental milestones versus less than six months of breastfeeding (adjusted odds ratios, 0.73 for exclusive breastfeeding and 0.86 for nonexclusive breastfeeding). Similar findings were seen among 37,704 sibling pairs, with children who were breastfed for at least six months showing lower likelihood of milestone attainment delays (odds ratio, 0.91) or being diagnosed with neurodevelopmental conditions (odds ratio, 0.73) versus their sibling with less than six months of breastfeeding or no breastfeeding.
"In this cohort study, breastfeeding persistence was associated with lower incidence of developmental delays," the authors write. "These findings may guide parents, caregivers, and public health initiatives in promoting optimal child development."
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
Posted March 2025
Read this next
Adverse Childhood Experiences Tied to Endometriosis Risk
FRIDAY, June 13, 2025 -- Early life adversity is associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with endometriosis later in life, according to a study published online June...
New Mothers Face Significant Loss of Uninterrupted Sleep
THURSDAY, June 12, 2025 -- New mothers face a significant loss of uninterrupted sleep through week 13 postpartum, according to a study presented at SLEEP 2025, the...
Systemic Social Factors May Increase the Risk of Psychotic Experiences
TUESDAY, June 10, 2025 -- Experiences with discrimination may increase the risk of psychotic experiences among marginalized young adults, according to a study published online May...
More news resources
- FDA Medwatch Drug Alerts
- Daily MedNews
- News for Health Professionals
- New Drug Approvals
- New Drug Applications
- Drug Shortages
- Clinical Trial Results
- Generic Drug Approvals
Subscribe to our newsletter
Whatever your topic of interest, subscribe to our newsletters to get the best of Drugs.com in your inbox.