New Study Suggests Lead Exposure Could Cause ADHD

January 28, 2010

A new study suggests it may be a good idea to consider chelation therapy, which removes unwanted metals from the body, as lead may be one of the main contributors to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).

The findings published in Current Directions in Psychological Science indicate that genes may be the cause of 70 percent of hyperactivity cases within children. Researchers were determined to figure out the cause of the other 30 percent, leading them to look closely into lead, which is a commonly known detrimental material to health.

The study compared children who were diagnosed with ADHD to children who had slightly higher levels of lead in their bodies. It was found there was a common link between the two and that the level of the metal in one’s body could be correlated to their attention deficit.

Lead can attach itself to parts of the brain, causing certain genes to become inactive, which could drastically change an individual’s behavior. By disrupting this brain activity, it can often lead to a change in psychological process, or hyperactivity.