I don't have the reference to the ADHD study here at home.  It's at the
office.  It's one study, from Indiana, mid-1990s as I recall, and they
compared two groups of boys, similar in all other ways, but one group had
ADHD and the others were the controls.  They found that the ADHD group had a
lower percentage of breastfed children, and of those breastfed, the ADHD
group had a shorter average duration of breastfeeding.  These researchers
found other evidence that disturbed fatty acid metabolism of the long-chain
polyunsaturated fatty acids (present in breast milk and not in formula)
might be related/responsible for the ADHD.  They were starting clinical
trials to supplement the ADHD kids with LCPUFAs to see if that affected
their behavior and cognitive functioning.  There were kids in the study with
ADHD who had been breastfed, and of course lots of kids who formula-fed
without getting ADHD.  It is no doubt a multi-factorial condition (see
blocks and string analogy).  Any search of Medline should turn up the study.
Search on ADHD, fatty acid, and Indiana, and you should get it.  I would try
it myself, but my home computer is locking up every five minutes, so I don't
dare.

Kathy Dettwyler

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