Children's IQ and Breast Feeding. What's the connection? An important study was conducted in England in 1982 and 1983 where investigators kept track of 210 babies who received mother's milk and 90 babies who were fed only infant formula. At the age of 18 months, developmental scores were obtained for all 300 toddlers and at the ages of seven and eight, IQ was assessed in the children. Developmental scores were higher at 18 months and IQ was greater at seven to eight years in the children fed breast milk. In fact, IQ scores were 8 to 10 points higher in the breast fed kids! The researchers also identified a 'dose-response' relationship between mother's milk and IQ. Those children who had received more maternal milk were sharper than kids who had less, particularly with regard to verbal measures of intelligence. The research team managed to remove most of the problems associated with this kind of research. For example, breast-fed children received mother' milk through a tube eliminating the likelihood that the close bond between mother and child associated with suckling had provided the IQ bonus. And even when the higher social status and educational backgrounds of the mothers who chose to breast feed were adjusted for statistically, the intelligence advantage associated with breast milk intake remained. So what exactly was so good about mother's milk? The researchers pointed the finger at the well-known and much researched DHA, that is an omega-3 fat found in decent quantities in mother's milk. This essential fatty acid cannot be manufactured in the human body and therefore the only source is from one's diet. DHA is however generally not present in infant formulas on the market today. DHA has been extensively researched and linked to brain development in numerous studies. As investigators have pointed out, DHA is accumulated in large quantities in the developing brain and retina and is crucial for overall mental development. If looking to supplement your children's diet with DHA then one way would be to have them eat more cold water fish. Alternatively SMART DHA for Kids is a high quality and very pure DHA supplement extracted from Tuna eye. The common omega-3 supplements on the market today usually contain more EPA than DHA and their contents (when squeezed from the gel cap) are yellow in colour. SMART DHA however is high in DHA and low in EPA (ratio of 4.5 parts DHA to 1 part EPA) and its contents are almost colorless due to its purity. SMART DHA comes in a fun fish-shaped gelatin capsule.