Babies that have significant weight gain and increased head size during the fist month of their life posses higher IQs in early school years.
Research from the University of Adelaide published in the journal Pediatrics examined the data of over 13,800 children who were born full-term, according to a press release. The research suggested that babies who put on about 40 percent of their birth weight in the first few weeks had on average, higher IQs by the time they were six-years old.
Babies who had only gained about 15 percent of their birth weight in the first month had an average IQ of 1.6 points lower than the heavier babies. The bigger the circumferences of the babies head at the end of that first crucial month, the higher the IQ.
"Head circumference is an indicator of brain volume, so a greater increase in head circumference in a newborn baby suggests more rapid brain growth," said Dr. Lisa Smithers, lead author of the study and member of the university's School of Population Health. "Overall, newborn children who grew faster in the first four weeks had higher IQ scores later in life."
The study also found the babies who grew the largest had the highest scores on the verbal IQ test in early childhood.
"This may be because the neural structures for verbal IQ develop earlier in life, which means the rapid weight gain during that neonatal period could be having a direct cognitive benefit for the child," Smithers said.
Earlier studies linked infant diets with IQ years down the road, but this finding correlated the children's test scores only with post-natal weight gain. Smithers believes the finding only further stresses the importance of adequate feeding in young infants.
"We know that many mothers have difficulty establishing breastfeeding in the first weeks of their baby's life," Smithers said. "The findings of our study suggest that if infants are having feeding problems, there needs to be early intervention in the management of that feeding."
