The research "twinned" children who were breastfed with others who were not but who had similar characteristics such as sex, birth weight, mother's age and marital status, and parents' jobs and education.
According to the findings, even those children who had been breastfed for as little as four weeks were still doing better than their 14-year-old peers.
While breastfeeding is known to have health and development benefits, researchers said the impact on children's cognitive outcomes was previously unknown. Although the authors said the research is limited, they believe the findings present a case for further work in the area.
The World Health Organisation recommends breastfeeding exclusively for six months and alongside solid foods for two years. But breastfeeding rates are relatively low in the UK, with around one in three infants exclusively breastfeeding during the first four months.
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