Preterm infants fed breast milk show improved microstructural organization of white matter in their brains compared to formula-fed preterm infants.

“emerging evidence suggests that preterm infants who are fed breast milk have significantly improved microstructural organization of the white matter in their brains compared to pre-term infant's fed formula”

“breastfed babies tend to have higher amounts of white matter in their brains and later in life perform better on intelligence tests than non-breastfed babies”

“pre-term babies that receive breast milk in the neonatal icu or nicu have higher verbal intelligence white matter and total brain volumes especially in boys”