News | Pregnancy and Breastfeeding May Improve Cognition Later in Life
A long-term UCLA-led study found that pregnancy and breastfeeding were associated with stronger cognition after menopause and may protect against later cognitive decline. The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Lead researcher Molly Fox, UCLA professor of anthropology, said the female brain evolved to adapt structurally and functionally to pregnancy, but long-term cognitive effects have rarely been studied systematically. This was the first large, long-term analysis directly linking reproductive history with later cognition.
Using Women’s Health Initiative memory and cognitive-aging data, the team assessed more than 7,000 women, average age about 70, annually for up to 13 years. Longer cumulative pregnancy and breastfeeding were associated with higher overall cognition, verbal memory, and visual memory scores.
Compared with never-pregnant women, those with 30.5 cumulative months of pregnancy were estimated to score 0.31% higher overall. Women averaging 11.6 lifetime months of breastfeeding scored an estimated 0.12% higher. Each additional month of pregnancy or breastfeeding corresponded to a 0.01-point rise in overall cognition; each additional breastfeeding month added 0.02 points to verbal and visual memory.
Although effects were small, researchers said they were comparable with known protective factors such as not smoking or high physical activity. Even small risk reductions may matter because Alzheimer’s prevention remains limited.
Women who had ever been pregnant scored 0.60 points higher overall than never-pregnant women. Those who had breastfed scored 0.19 points higher overall and 0.27 points higher in verbal memory. Short-term postpartum cognitive decline, often called “mom brain,” may therefore shift toward greater long-term resilience.
Mechanisms may be biological and sociocultural. Social support from more adult children could buffer stress and encourage healthy behavior. The team will investigate mechanisms and whether drugs or social interventions could replicate the natural protective effect.
Understanding reproductive history and cognitive aging may improve identification of women at high risk of Alzheimer’s and inform prevention. Changing reproductive patterns may also influence future population brain health.
The study used reproductive-history interviews, annual global cognitive assessments, and multidimensional tests. It was conducted through the Women’s Health Initiative and partly funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute on Aging.
News | Pregnancy and Breastfeeding May Improve Cognition Later in Life
News | Pregnancy and Breastfeeding May Improve Cognition Later in Life
A long-term UCLA-led study found that pregnancy and breastfeeding were associated with stronger cognition after menopause and may protect against later cognitive decline. The findings were published in Alzheimer’s & Dementia.
Lead researcher Molly Fox, UCLA professor of anthropology, said the female brain evolved to adapt structurally and functionally to pregnancy, but long-term cognitive effects have rarely been studied systematically. This was the first large, long-term analysis directly linking reproductive history with later cognition.
Using Women’s Health Initiative memory and cognitive-aging data, the team assessed more than 7,000 women, average age about 70, annually for up to 13 years. Longer cumulative pregnancy and breastfeeding were associated with higher overall cognition, verbal memory, and visual memory scores.
Compared with never-pregnant women, those with 30.5 cumulative months of pregnancy were estimated to score 0.31% higher overall. Women averaging 11.6 lifetime months of breastfeeding scored an estimated 0.12% higher. Each additional month of pregnancy or breastfeeding corresponded to a 0.01-point rise in overall cognition; each additional breastfeeding month added 0.02 points to verbal and visual memory.
Although effects were small, researchers said they were comparable with known protective factors such as not smoking or high physical activity. Even small risk reductions may matter because Alzheimer’s prevention remains limited.
Women who had ever been pregnant scored 0.60 points higher overall than never-pregnant women. Those who had breastfed scored 0.19 points higher overall and 0.27 points higher in verbal memory. Short-term postpartum cognitive decline, often called “mom brain,” may therefore shift toward greater long-term resilience.
Mechanisms may be biological and sociocultural. Social support from more adult children could buffer stress and encourage healthy behavior. The team will investigate mechanisms and whether drugs or social interventions could replicate the natural protective effect.
Understanding reproductive history and cognitive aging may improve identification of women at high risk of Alzheimer’s and inform prevention. Changing reproductive patterns may also influence future population brain health.
The study used reproductive-history interviews, annual global cognitive assessments, and multidimensional tests. It was conducted through the Women’s Health Initiative and partly funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute and National Institute on Aging.
Story source:
Collected online