Feeding Baby: natural nurturing may be the brainy way

Many studies have shown that children breastfed as infants have intellectual advantages. This is partly due to the fact that breastmilk contains a natural supply of long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA).

Dr Peter Willatts, Department of Psychology, University of Dundee, says that during pregnancy, the mother supplies increasing amounts of LC-PUFA to her unborn infant to meet the demands of the rapidly developing brain.

After birth, the infant continues to require a supply of LC-PUFA for brain growth and maturation and this is available from breastmilk.

Recently LC-PUFA have been added to infant formulas by manufacturers - but does this really make a difference to the baby in the long-term?

According to research by developmental psychologists in Britain, it does.

Infants given formula with LC-PUFA did better on visual information processing and problem-solving, compared to infants given ordinary formula. The positive effects were still evident at the age of six.

If you are bottle-feeding your baby, it is certainly worthwhile using a formula that has LC-PUFA added, says Dr Willatts.

However, breast is still best. "There are many other reasons why breastfeeding is preferable, including the relationship between mother and baby," he says.