Impact of the Duration of Breastfeeding on the Intelligence of Children: A Systematic Review with Network Meta-Analysis
Objective: To evaluate the impact of the duration of breastfeeding on the intelligence of children. Materials and Methods: Eight electronic databases were searched to identify studies that investigated the impact of breastfeeding on the intelligence of children. Data were pooled, and the ratio of means (RoM) and the corresponding 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were calculated using a pairwise meta-analysis and network meta-analysis. Risk of bias was assessed using a tool developed by the CLARITY group. Data were analyzed using R version 3.5.1. Results: A total of 16 studies with 9,162 subjects were included in the review. Half of the studies were at low risk of bias. A meta-analysis indicated that breastfed children had a score 1.04-fold higher in intelligence tests compared with those that had never been breastfed (RoM: 1.04, 95% CI: 1.02-1.06, p 6 months had a score 1.06-fold higher (RoM: 1.06, 95% CI: 1.05-1.08, p 6 months demonstrated a slightly higher score than breastfeeding for 6 months showing a slight but significantly higher intelligence score than for <= 6 months.
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