New Study Suggests That Breastfeeding May Help Prevent Cognitive Decline in Women; Women Who Had Breastfed Their Babies Performed Better on Cognitive Tests After Age of 50 Compared to Women Who Had Not Breastfed

A new study led by researchers at UCLA Health has found that women over the age of 50 who had breastfed their babies performed better on cognitive tests compared to women who had never breastfed. The findings, published on October 1, 2021 in Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health, suggest that breastfeeding may have a positive impact on postmenopausal women’s cognitive performance and could have long-term benefits for the mother’s brain. The open-access article is titled “Women Who Breastfeed Exhibit Cognitive Benefits After Age 50.”