ADHD Linked To Obesity Risk In Girls

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be twice as likely to increase the risk of adult obesity for females when compared to male counterparts, according to a recent study.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic conducted a long-term study that examined the weight of about 1,000 girls and boys who had been diagnosed with ADHD as children and who were treated between 1976 and 2010. They found regardless of stimulant treatment, the risk of obesity in girls was twice as common in childhood and even early adulthood than those without the disorder. 

"There are a couple of biological mechanisms that underlie both obesity and ADHD," said Dr. Seema Kumar, a pediatrician and researcher at Mayo Clinic Children's Research Center in Rochester, Minn., in a news release. "Girls with ADHD may not be able to control their eating and may end up overeating. Because kids with ADHD don't have impulse control, it may also play a role in this."

Previous studies have shown that sleep can affect weight at times and those with ADHD can have difficulties getting a full night's rest, as well as sitting still, staying focused and/or controling their emotions, according to the National Sleep Foundation. 

Women diagnosed with ADHD as children, regardless of treatment with a stimulant medication, were more than twice as likely to develop obesity as adults than women not diagnosed, the researchers reported. The association wasn't found for boys, they said.

Researchers note that girls should be counseled as children, when diagnosed with ADHD, to do things in order to prevent becoming obese; this might involve information on a healthy diet and proper exercise regimens. 

"Parents and physicians and other caregivers need to be proactive in monitoring eating habits and exercise, and be aware of changes in body composition," said Dr. Brandon Korman, chief of neuropsychology at Nicklaus Children's Hospital in Miami, who wasn't involved in the study, via Health Day.

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