Study Links ADHD in Childhood to Obesity in Adulthood

New research has linked ADHD in childhood with the likelihood of obesity in adulthood. Men who suffered with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder as children were twice as likely to become obese as an adult, according to a study published in the journal Pediatrics.

Researchers at the Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center reached this conclusion based on a 33-year follow-up study.

Prior to this, a few studies were centered on the long-term effects in patients who were diagnosed with ADHD in childhood. For the current study, researchers have assessed the outcomes of children diagnosed with ADHD by concentrating on obesity rates and body mass index.

"Our results found that even when you control for other factors often associated with increased obesity rates such as socioeconomic status, men diagnosed with ADHD were at a significantly higher risk to suffer from high BMI and obesity as adults," said lead author Francisco Xavier Castellanos, M.D., Brooke and Daniel Neidich Professor of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Child Study Center at NYU Langone. 

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, ADHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder, initially diagnosed in childhood and lasting till adulthood. Those with ADHD have difficulty paying attention, are overly active and have difficulty in controlling impulsive behavior. Other symptoms of ADHD are poor impulse control and improper planning skills, which leads to poor food choice and irregular eating habits. It is mostly men who are diagnosed with ADHD when compared to women.

The study consisted of 207 white men who were diagnosed with ADHD at an average age of 8, and a comparison of 178 men who were not diagnosed with ADHD at childhood. Researchers took 41 years as the average age of follow-up. The study compared the BMI and obesity rate in adult men with and without ADHD.

It was noticed that those men who were diagnosed with ADHD in childhood had a higher BMI (30.1 vs. 27.6) and obesity rate (41.1 percent vs. 21.6 percent) when compared to those men without childhood ADHD.

The study highlights the fact that kids who are diagnosed with ADHD need to be watched carefully for any long-term risk of obesity, and should be taught healthy eating habits as they become teenagers and adults.