Main content

Does Breastfeeding Increase IQ?

Babies who are breastfed become more intelligent, higher earning adults than those given formula milk, a study claims. How convincing is the evidence?

A major 30-year study claims to show breastfed babies become more intelligent, higher earning adults. It’s not the first time we have heard that breastfeeding raises IQ levels, but is this evidence any more convincing? Ruth Alexander and Hannah Moore explore the details with Dr Stuart Ritchie from The University of Edinburgh.

Available now

10 minutes

Last on

Sun 22 Mar 201523:50GMT
BBC World Service Online

More episodes

Previous

Measuring World Health

Next

How Safe is Flying?

See all episodes from More or Less

Broadcasts

  • Sat 21 Mar 201514:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online
  • Sun 22 Mar 201505:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online
  • Sun 22 Mar 201523:50GMT
    BBC World Service Online

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Unlock the history and truth behind the data with The OU

Explore how numbers shape, and sometimes mislead us, with The Open University.

When can you trust statistics?

When can you trust statistics?

BBC Ideas discovers three easy ways to help make sense of statistics.

Podcast

  • More or Less

    Tim Harford explains the numbers and statistics used in everyday life