Breastfeeding Helps Children Climb the Social Ladder

Breast-feeding helps children climb the social ladder better and also reduces their chances of downward mobility, according to a new study.

The multigenerational study was conducted on two sets of people; one group was born in 1958 (17,419 people) and the second in 1970 (16,771 people). Researchers collected data on participants' early nutrition (if they were breast-fed or not).

They then looked at the social class of the study participants when they were 10-11 years old and then compared it with the social class when they were around 33 years old. The study also had data on study participants' cognitive skills at age 10 - 11 years.

The report found a decline in the number of breast-fed babies from 1950s to 1970s. About two- third of all mothers breast-fed their children during the 50s when compared to just one in three mums in the 70s.

Researchers found that breast-fed babies were more likely (24 percent higher odds) to have a higher social status than their parents when compared to babies that were bottle-fed. Also, breast-fed babies in both groups had 20 percent less odds of downward mobility. In addition, breast-fed babies had higher cognitive skills and lower stress.

The study did not find how breast-feeding helped the babies gain upward social mobility. It could be either due to nutrients in the breast milk or due to the mother-child bonding during early life.

"Perhaps the combination of physical contact and the most appropriate nutrients required for growth and brain development is implicated in the better neurocognitive and adult outcomes of breastfed infants," researchers said, according to a news release.

The  World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that women must exclusively breast-feed their babies for at least six months. A recent study revealed that breastfed babies showed faster brain development. Breast-feeding also benefits mothers as it strengthens the bond between the mother and child and protects them from certain cancers. It also lowers the risk of obesity and heart disease.

The study is published in the journal Archives of Disease in Childhood.