Breast Milk May Be Best for Premature Babies' Brain Development , Study Finds (image)
Caption
Babies born before their due date show better brain development when fed breast milk rather than formula, a study has found. Image shows brain maps with information processing hubs represented as black dots. Hubs are widely connected with each other in highly complex ways to allow the transfer of information that govern all aspects of brain function. The lines on the map highlight connections that are less well developed in babies who receive breast milk for fewer than three quarters of the days they spent in neonatal intensive care (left image) or fewer than 90 per cent of their days in hospital (right image). The data suggest that brain connections in preterm babies are improved with greater amounts of breast milk in the weeks after birth.
Credit
Jennifer Brown Research Laboratory, the University of Edinburgh
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