I can offer only personal experience and a lot of reading on the question of
whether breastfeeding could have any influence on attention deficit
hyperactivity disorder (adhd).  I was breastfed for six months (unusual in
1956)...  nursed my oldest for 2 years and my youngest for 4 years.  *All of
us* are add (inattentive type, not hyperactive).  From what I've read, there
is a strong hereditary component - it was when I found out the second kid
was add that I started thinking about myself and realized, aha! I had an
explanation for a *lot* of things in my life!  :D

The interesting thing to look at would be - does breastfeeding influence
that glucose metabolism in the brain in any way?  Did breastfeeding "set the
thermostat" for glucose metabolism differently?  I certainly think it's
possible.  Maybe my kids and I would be absolutely hopeless cases if we
hadn't been breastfed - just like I always had to remind myself when they
had multiple ear infections, "Think how sick they'd be if I weren't
breastfeeding!"

A really interesting and thought-provoking book on ADD is Thom Hartmann's
"Attention Deficit Disorder: A Different Perspective," subtitled, "The
'Hunter in a Farmer's World' Book."  His basic point is that the attention
"activities" (scanning surroundings, listening, completing tasks, etc.) that
all humans must do, are activities that can be done in different ways, along
a continuum.  His "hunter" is the one who is constantly scanning the
environment, having to at least briefly attend to every new noise or
movement, whose concentration can be intense but easily interrupted by the
crackling of a twig, for example; the hunter can jump from his hiding place
and quickly run after prey.  His "farmer" is the one who can patiently put
seeds into holes throughout the day, maintaining his concentration,
"filtering out" distractions like the hot sun or biting mosquitoes, knowing
that the persistence of this task will bring rewards in the long run.  The
farmer would not make a very good hunter;  the hunter would not make a very
good farmer.  But both are OK.  I really like Hartmann's perspective that
ADD is just a way of living and working that is closer to one end of the
attentional continuum.  He also points out that there was a time in early
human history when evolution would have certainly favored "hunter"
characteristics, and so that ADD "wiring" has been passed on as an important
trait in some people today.  Unfortunately in our world, working at that end
of the continuum is sometimes *very* hard!

Having said all of that, it would be fascinating not only to look at the
glucose metabolism question but also look at babies' nursing styles and many
years later look at their behavior in other ways - it occurs to me that my
two ADD kids were the ones whom I could never nurse on any kind of
"schedule."  :D  Hmmmmm.  Interesting questions!  (Please be assured that
I'm not suggesting that we "screen" babies for ADD by assessing their
breastfeeding technique!  It's just an interesting question.)

Sorry this got a little long, it's a relatively new-found interest of mine!

Mary Renard
Vienna VA