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Studies ADHD doubles the risk of obesity in girls
When children suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), they usually have problems with their impulsivity and self-regulation. A recent study found that children with ADHD are also more likely to become overweight or obese. In girls, the probability is even twice as high.
Many children around the world are overweight. The reasons for this are very different. Wrong eating and little exercise can cause people to become heavier and thus become obese. Researchers from the Mayo Clinic's Children's Research Center found in a recent study that ADHD also increases the likelihood of becoming obese. The scientists published the results of their study in the medical journal "Mayo Clinic Proceedings".
ADHD leads to an increased risk of obesity and obesity in women. (Image: kwanchaichaiudom / fotolia.com) ADHD can cause adult women to become obese
The incidence of obesity in children and adults has increased dramatically over the past three decades. Most kids eat lots of sweets, ice cream, fries and all kinds of other unhealthy food. So it's not surprising that many adolescents are overweight. But there could also be other reasons why children are increasing rapidly. Mayo Clinic physicians have now discovered that attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) promotes the development of obesity. ADHD affects girls and boys differently, but we found that girls with ADHD are at higher risk for overweight in girls, explain the researchers. For adults, the odds of developing obesity are twice as high if they have ADHD, added the physicians.
Some biological mechanisms affect both obesity and ADHD
Physicians at the Mayo Clinic had studied about 1,000 girls and boys in a long-term study. Some participants were diagnosed with ADHD between 1976 and 2010. 336 subjects developed ADHD in their childhood and 665 subjects did not suffer from the disease. The scientists found that girls with diabetes were twice as likely to develop obesity compared to the boys from the study. There are some biological mechanisms that underlie both obesity and ADHD. Seema Kumar. Girls with ADHD may not be able to control their eating habits and therefore more likely to develop overweight or obesity, the physician suspects. Children with ADHD have no impulse control that could play an important role in the development of obesity.
ADHD drugs do not counteract the overweight
Previous studies have shown that our sleep behavior can also affect our weight. People with ADHD often have difficulty sitting quietly, staying focused and staying asleep the whole night. This may be one of the reasons why people with ADHD are more likely to develop obesity. When childhood ADHD has been diagnosed, it is likely to be twice as likely for people to become overweight as adults, regardless of treatment with stimulant drugs, say the doctors. This relationship could not be determined in boys. Women with ADHD have a very high risk of developing overweight in adulthood, and drugs to treat ADHD do not improve the situation, explains Drs. Kumar.
Nursing staff and healthcare providers should be better informed about ADHD
When ADHD is diagnosed in childhood girls, these children and their parents should be well advised to prevent overweight and obesity later on. Counseling should include information about healthy eating and adequate exercise is an important part of the treatment, the experts explain. Parents, doctors and other caregivers must be proactive in monitoring eating habits and exercising. You should also be aware of changes in body composition, commented Drs. Brandon Korman from the Children's Hospital in Miami the results of the investigation. There is a clear need for greater awareness of the link between ADHD and obesity in women. Patients, nursing staff and healthcare providers should be better informed and therefore take suitable countermeasures Kuma. (As)