Overview
- Researchers from the University of Bergen analyzed data from 37,600 families in the Norwegian Mother, Father and Child Cohort Study (MoBa) to test breastfeeding and later ADHD symptoms.
- Children who were breastfed more intensively and for longer periods through the first six months showed lower ADHD symptom scores at ages three, five, and eight, with the strongest effects at ages three and five.
- The team adjusted for measured genetic risk of ADHD, sociodemographic factors, and ran sibling comparisons, and a clear but moderate protective association remained after those controls.
- Authors note the study is observational, warn of possible reverse causation and selection bias because MoBa participants skew toward higher education and longer breastfeeding, and say causality is not established.
- The findings point to biological plausibility through nutrients and immune or microbiome factors in breast milk and call for further studies to test mechanisms, replicate results in other populations, and assess policy implications.