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    Babies Who Are Breastfed For Longer Are More Likely To Have A Higher IQ, A New Study Has Found

    The researchers found that the children are also more likely to earn a higher wage.

    A new long-term study has found that babies who breastfeed for longer have a better chance of scoring a higher IQ as adults.

    The study found that compared to babies who were breastfed for less than a month, babies who were breastfed for a year or longer scored four IQ points higher on average on tests.

    The study, conducted by Professor Cesar G Victora and published in The Lancet Global Health, used a sample of 3,500 babies from different backgrounds and social classes.

    Victora, from the Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil, and his colleagues found that breastfeeding might have "long-term effects on intelligence in a population without strong social patterning of breastfeeding".

    The researchers noted that babies who were breastfed for longer were also more likely to earn a higher wage and to be in education for a longer time.

    Researchers say the study supports Public Health England's recommendation for mothers to breastfeed babies exclusively for their first six months.

    The full study and its findings can be read here on the Lancet Global Health site.