The Rise of ADHD

ADHD has been declared a real disease that appears to be linked to changes in the brain chemical, dopamine. (Read the full article here http://health.msn.com/centers/adhd/articlepage.aspx?cp-documentid=100167402&gt1=10316)

Maybe we should look at our food supply to see if there is a correlation between new fangeled processed foods and dopamine production.

It just so happens that there is an ingredient in processed foods that lowers dopamine production. Most people believe this ingredient is a health food and we even feed it to children in the school cafeteria.

The ingredient is soy. Many infants are being raised on soy formula. Soy flour is put in most breads on the market. Soy lecithin is in just about every processed food. And soy is used to replace some meat in the school cafeteria to create lower fat meals. Soy milk consumption is growing as people seek alternatives to cow's milk.

Most engergy bars and protein shakes contain soy protein isolate and we seem to be consuming more of these foods. Smoothies are now popular and many people add a protein boost that is usually soy based. And most fast food contains soy.

The bottom line is that soy is impossible to avoid unless you eat only whole unprocessed foods. It is interesting that ADHD is increasing along with our intake of soy.

The brain uses the amino acids tyrosine and phenylalanine to produce dopamine. Soy affects the activity of tyrosine hydroxylase, an enzyme that converts tyrosine to dihydroxyphenylalanine (DOPA) which is a precursor to dopamine.

Soy depletes dopamine levels which is now believed to be a cause of ADHD.

So, read ingredients and avoid anything with soy flour, soy protein isolate and soy lecithin if you can. (Avoiding soy lecithin is difficult because it is in everything). If you send your kids to school, pack them a lunch instead of sending them to the cafeteria. Do not give children soy milk or other soy based products. I recommend raw milk from a grass fed cow if it's available. But no milk is better than soy milk.

Eat real food and you won't have to worry about all these new fangeled diseases.