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Individuals with ADHD have a significantly higher prevalence of obesity and overweight compared to those without ADHD, with odds ratios of 1.20 for children and 1.55 for adults.

If you have ADHD, you are statistically more likely to be obese than someone without it, regardless of age. This is not due to medication (which may actually lower risk) but likely due to executive dysfunction affecting eating habits. Screen for obesity as part of ADHD management, and screen for ADHD in obesity cases, especially if weight loss attempts have failed.

StrongSupportsHIGH confidence
A significant association between obesity and ADHD was found for both children (odds ratio=1.20, 95% CI=1.05–1.37) and adults (odds ratio=1.55, 95% CI=1.32–1.81).
Samuele Cortese et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry · 2015

Why this rating

Large-scale meta-analysis of 42 studies involving over 700,000 participants with rigorous quality control.

Source

Association Between ADHD and Obesity: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Samuele Cortese et al. · American Journal of Psychiatry · 2015

Meta-analysis · 42 studiesCited 584×
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