Could the way you
feed your bub be associated with whether they end up being right or
left-handed? It certainly seems like an odd link, but that's the conclusion of
a new large study of breastfeeding and
handedness, recently published in the journal. Specifically, results
indicated that compared to bottle feeding, breastfeeding for less than one
month was associated with 9 per cent decreased prevalence of non-right handedness,
while nursing for one to six months and six or more was associated with 15 per
cent and 22 per cent decreased prevalence respectively. But the association
ended there, "Breastfeeding for longer than 9 months was not associated
with further reductions in the prevalence for non-right handedness," the
study notes.
It's important to
note that the study doesn't show that breastfeeding causes right-handedness, something Professor
Hujoel explains is partially down to genetics. Instead, the
findings shed light on when the region of the brain that controls
handedness localizes to one side of the brain, a process known as brain
lateralisation. Professor Hujoel notes that the effect of breastfeeding on
handedness may also be unrelated to nutrition and more to do with hormonal
responses associated with mother-infant bonding during
breastfeeding. It's not the first time a study has linked breastfeeding to
handedness.
About 10 per cent of people are
left-handed, with lefties more common in males (11 per cent) than females
(13 per cent). Other studies have shown that being left-handed is more common
in twins (8.1 per cent) and triplets (7.1 per cent) than singletons (5.8 per
cent), while being ambidextrous is more common in triplets (6.4 per cent) than
in twins (3.4 per cent) and singletons (3.5 per cent).
The reality is, however, does it
really matter whether your bub is left or right-handed? The short answer is no.
And nor is it possible for every mum to breastfeed their baby - for one reason
or another - and there is absolutely no judgment from us. While there's
much we still don't know about being left or right-handed, have found no
significant differences in personality traits between lefties and
righties. And when it comes to sports like baseball, cricket and
table tennis, lefties certainly have the upper hand.
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