While many new moms are busy deciding on whether to feed her baby with breast milk or exclusively bottled milk, many ponders on the reason for a child to grow intelligent on breastfeeding! Yes, it is already a well-established fact that breast-fed babies tend to grow up to be more intelligent compared to their exclusively bottle-fed counterparts. But, the question on ‘why’ and ‘how’ on ‘the intelligence quotient link’ has been established only recently after about 100 years of debate on it.

Thanks to researchers who have zeroed-in to a very common gene found responsible for it. Breast-fed babies share the genetic variant to the FADS2 gene — found in about 90 percent of people!

This gene is involved in processing the omega 3 fatty acids found in foods — like salmon, nuts and avocados — turning them into nutrients required by the brain.

Besides providing intelligence to a child, breast-feeding also reduces infections, respiratory illnesses and diarrhea. In a recent study it is also found that breast-feeding adds healthier blood cholesterol levels in a child.

So, would-be-moms and new moms, it’s time to be aware of the goodness of breastfeeding for your child and stop pondering on whether to bottle-feed or breastfeed your young one.

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