Conventional wisdom that breastfeeding is best for a baby may be off the mark, the Daily Mail reports.
According to Norwegian researchers, the only scientifically-supported benefit to breastfeeding is a “small IQ advantage” — and even that demands further study, they say.
Professor Sven Carlsen — who led the study team at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology — says that “baby formula is as good as breast milk.”
The main determinant to a healthy infant, Carlsen explains, is the delicate hormone balance of the mother’s womb prior to birth. This has led people to conclude that healthy babies follow healthy breastfeeding, but that conclusion is unsupported, says Carlsen.
The Norwegian team reviewed the data from a few dozen international studies on the topic. The research was published in January’s edition of Acta Obstestricia and Gynecologia Scandinavica.
