I was wondering if anyone has heard anything further about the ongoing
research out of UC Irvine or UC Davis regarding Manganese and Soy
Formula.  I remember reading somewhere that hinted at Soy
Formula "causing" ADD/ADHD in children.  Can anyone enlighten me on this
topic as I was unable to find discussion in the archives?

Angie (taking "THE" exam in 2005)

"Since I began following his project, Hodges, 72, has grown from gadfly to
eccentric expert. With his prodding and financial support, a team of
University of California scientists has researched his theory. And what
they have found is disturbing: the possibility that the manganese in soy-
based infant formula is causing brain damage in infants.

Manganese is an element crucial to life but can also be toxic if absorbed
in large amounts. The ancient Greeks called it the "madness metal," and
research into the populations living around manganese mines and their
workers has shown high levels of mental illness.

According to Dr. Francis Crinella, a clinical professor of pediatrics at
UC Irvine, soy-based infant formula contains manganese in concentrations
up to 80 times higher than human breast milk. Prompted by studies that
showed elevated levels of manganese in the head hair of juvenile felons
and hyperactive children, Crinella designed a study to isolate the effects
of manganese on infant brain development.

The researchers fed a manganese supplement to baby rats to simulate the
manganese given to human infants raised on soy formula. The rats fed the
supplement did worse than a control group on homing tests in a maze and on
a passive avoidance exercise testing their willingness to avoid an
electric shock when entering a darkened compartment. Their brains also
showed a steep decline in dopamine, a neuro-transmitter crucial to
regulating emotions and behavior.

At Hodges' urging and with more of his funding, researchers at UC Davis
followed up the rat study with another using baby monkeys. Three groups of
the primates were fed cow's milk formula, soy-based formula and a soy
formula with extra manganese, and their behavior and interaction was then
observed in the lab.

The monkeys fed the soy-based and manganese-fortified formula played less
and were more clingy. "They would sort of hug each other and sit
together," said Dr. Mari Golub, the Davis professor who designed the
project. They were also more impulsive.

The study is ongoing.

All of this is still at a very early stage, but Crinella thinks the
results are strong enough that the state should warn new mothers away from
soy-based formula and advocate breast-feeding whenever possible for at
least the baby's first six months."

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