ADHD Study: Obesity Risk Linked With Childhood ADHD In Girls

Over the past three decades, the incidence of obesity has increased significantly. A new study found a link between childhood attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in girls and obesity development during adulthood.

The multi-site study was performed by researchers at Mayo Clinic and has been published in Mayo Clinic Proceedings. Previous studies found a connection between childhood ADHD and obesity.

However, according to the lead author Seema Kumar, M.D., pediatrician and researcher at Mayo Clinic Children's Research Center, this is the first population-based longitudinal research that examined the link between ADHD and development of obesity based on a group of both sexes derived from the same birth cohort.

The study included 665 non-ADHD controls and 336 individuals, with childhood ADHD, of the same age and sex and born from 1976 to 1982. Stimulant treatment measurements, height and weight were gathered from medical records from Jan. 1, 1976 to Aug. 31, 2010. In order to assess the link between ADHD and obesity, the researchers used Cox models.

The results of the study suggest that, compared to females without ADHD, females with childhood ADHD were at a two-fold greater risk of developing childhood and adulthood obesity. According to Dr. Kumar, cited by Science Daily, obesity was not associated with stimulant medication used as treatment among childhood ADHD cases.

It is possible that the same abnormalities in the brain that cause ADHD could also cause eating disorders, according to Kumar. Kids with ADHD don't have impulse control and girls may end up overeating because they are less able to control their eating habits.

The findings of the study suggest that it is necessary health care providers and caregivers to pay a greater attention to the association between ADHD and obesity in females among patients. As part of routine care to prevent obesity, the study encourages patients with ADHD to engage in healthy eating, an active lifestyle and other preventive measures.