{"id":2482,"date":"2022-08-22T02:02:50","date_gmt":"2022-08-22T06:02:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mind-test.org\/blog\/?p=2482"},"modified":"2022-08-10T08:22:21","modified_gmt":"2022-08-10T12:22:21","slug":"adhd-in-childhood-may-be-linked-to-obesity-in-adulthood","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mind-test.org\/blog\/adhd\/adhd-in-childhood-may-be-linked-to-obesity-in-adulthood\/","title":{"rendered":"ADHD in childhood may be linked to obesity in adulthood"},"content":{"rendered":"

People with ADHD symptoms in childhood may be more prone to obesity problems in the future, reports the International Journal of Obesity.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This was the conclusion reached by researchers at Duke University in North Carolina after studying data on more than 11,500 Americans who took part in a government study that began in 1995. The respondents were attending secondary schools at the time.<\/p>\n

As the authors of the study emphasise, these findings do not prove that attention deficit hyperactivity disorder per se increases the risk of obesity, but instead provide confirmation of several earlier, smaller-scale studies that indicated a higher percentage of obesity among adults with ADHD<\/a>.<\/p>\n

One possible explanation, according to the researchers, is that the propensity for impulsive behaviour that characterises ADHD may simultaneously promote uncontrolled weight gain. In addition, both ADHD and obesity are linked to lower levels of dopamine in the brain, meaning that the reward system responsible for motivation and behavioural control is impaired.<\/p>\n

Among adults who had three or more ADHD symptoms (primarily impulsivity and hyperactivity) between the ages of five and 12, 41 per cent were diagnosed with obesity by the age of about 30 (compared to 34 per cent of those who did not have such symptoms in childhood). However, when the researchers took other factors into account, such as the subjects’ level of physical activity, any symptoms of depression or smoking, among others, they found that those with ADHD had as much as a 50 per cent higher risk of obesity. (PAP)<\/p>\n

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Source<\/p>\n