Dataset Information

Fatty acid composition in breastfeeding and school performance in children aged 12 years.

ABSTRACT:

Purpose

Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognition. It remains unclear whether long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) play a role in this association. We assessed the association between LC-PUFA concentrations in infant feeding and school performance at age 12.

Methods

Within a population-based birth cohort, we compared school performance of 277 non-breastfed children and 157 children who had fatty acid composition of their mothers' breast milk measured. Two indicators of school performance were: (1) the score on a standardized achievement test and (2) the teacher's advice regarding a child's potential performance level in secondary education. Linear regression and multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed to assess the independent association between LC-PUFA content of breast milk and school performance.

Results

Girls, who received breast milk with a relative high content (above the median) of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), had a higher Cito-test score (? = 2.96 points, 95 % CI 0.24; 5.69) than non-breastfed girls. Among the breastfed girls, each percentage point of higher content of total n-3 LC-PUFA (? = 4.55, 95 % CI 0.43; 8.66) and DHA (? = 7.09, 95 % CI 0.9; 13.3) was associated with a higher Cito-test score. The association between LC-PUFA content and teacher school advice showed a similar pattern. There was no association between LC-PUFA content and school performance in boys.

Conclusion

Although a large part of the association between infant milk feeding and cognition seems to be explained by sociodemographic and lifestyle-related factors, a relative high content of n-3 PUFAs, especially DHA, in breast milk is associated with better school performance in 12-year-old girls but not in boys.

SUBMITTER: Dalmeijer GW

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5035317 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Oct

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

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Publications

Fatty acid composition in breastfeeding and school performance in children aged 12 years.

Dalmeijer Geertje W GW Wijga Alet H AH Gehring Ulrike U Renders Carry M CM Koppelman Gerard H GH Smit Henriette A HA van Rossem Lenie L

European journal of nutrition 20150907 7

<h4>Purpose</h4>Breastfeeding has been associated with improved cognition. It remains unclear whether long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs) play a role in this association. We assessed the association between LC-PUFA concentrations in infant feeding and school performance at age 12.<h4>Methods</h4>Within a population-based birth cohort, we compared school performance of 277 non-breastfed children and 157 children who had fatty acid composition of their mothers' breast milk measured. ...[more]

PMID: 26347247

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Dataset Information

Fatty acid composition in breastfeeding and school performance in children aged 12 years.

Purpose

Methods

Results

Conclusion

Publications

Fatty acid composition in breastfeeding and school performance in children aged 12 years.

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