--- title: Prolonged Breast-Feeding Linked to Higher IQ and Wealth in Adulthood description: Children that breast-feed for longer periods end up smarter, more educated and wealthier in adulthood, according to a new study canonical: https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/ author: David Stout article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2015-03-18T06:55:31.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-02-22T05:14:21.979Z article:section: Health og:title: Breastfeeding Linked to Higher Incomes and IQs og:description: Children that breastfeed for longer periods end up more educated and wealthier. og:url: https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltada2f9154ab46a9f/6987841706f2c1315b3347a0/breastfeeding.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: 107908267 og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: Breastfeeding Linked to Higher Incomes and IQs twitter:description: Children that breastfeed for longer periods end up more educated and wealthier. twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltada2f9154ab46a9f/6987841706f2c1315b3347a0/breastfeeding.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # Prolonged Breastfeeding Linked to Higher IQ and Wealth in Adulthood by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Mar 18, 2015 6:55 AM UTC  Mother breast feeding baby on sofa Mother breast feeding baby on sofaGetty Images by [David Stout](https://time.com/author/david-stout/) ## David Stout Mar 18, 2015 6:55 AM UTC Children that breastfeed for longer periods end up smarter, more educated and wealthier in adulthood, [according](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317195937.htm) to a new study. According to research published in the _Lancet Global Health_ journal, children who breastfeed for at least 12 months scored almost four points higher on IQ tests, attended school for a year longer and made 15% more money at 30 years old, when compared with their peers who suckled for less than a month. Researchers in Brazil surveyed almost 3,500 individuals born in the state of Pelotas in 1982 about their breastfeeding habits. The study’s authors say the uptick in intelligence is likely tied to the presence of long-chain saturated fatty acids present in breast milk that are essential for brain development. “Our finding that predominant breastfeeding is positively related to IQ in adulthood also suggests that the amount of milk consumed plays a role,” said lead author Bernardo Lessa Horta, a professor at Federal University of Pelotas in Brazil. \[[_Science Daily_](http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2015/03/150317195937.htm)\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/"},"headline":"Prolonged Breastfeeding Linked to Higher IQ and Wealth in Adulthood","datePublished":"2015-03-18T06:55:31.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T05:14:21.979Z","description":"New research suggests that breastfeeding newborns longer helps enhance brain development","url":"https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/","keywords":["Research","diet","Science topic","health","intelligence","breastfeeding","infants","IQ"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltada2f9154ab46a9f/6987841706f2c1315b3347a0/breastfeeding.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"David Stout","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/david-stout/"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltada2f9154ab46a9f/6987841706f2c1315b3347a0/breastfeeding.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"107908267","caption":"107908267","creditText":"Getty Images","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/research/","name":"Research"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3748600/breastfeeding-intelligence-wealth-study-research-health/","name":"Prolonged Breastfeeding Linked to Higher IQ and Wealth in Adulthood"}}]}] ```