Research

Adherence

Adults with ADHD exhibit significantly reduced weight loss during obesity treatment compared to non-ADHD peers, with the disparity being most pronounced in patients with extreme obesity (BMI >= 40).

If you have ADHD and are struggling with weight loss, your difficulty is likely due to executive function challenges (impulsivity, distractibility) rather than a lack of effort. Standard advice may not be enough; you may benefit from specific ADHD treatments (medication or behavioral therapy) to improve adherence to your obesity treatment plan, especially if you have extreme obesity.

ModerateQualifiesMEDIUM confidence
Mean weight loss among obese patients with ADHD (OB+ADHD) was 2.6 BMI (kg/m2) vs. 4.0 for non-ADHD (NAD) (p < 0.002). For BMI >= 40, OB+ADHD had BMI loss 2.9 vs. 7.0 (NAD) (p < 0.004).
Jules R Altfas · BMC Psychiatry · 2002

Why this rating

Retrospective clinical record review with a single interviewer and modified diagnostic criteria limits generalizability and introduces potential bias.

Source

Prevalence of attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder among adults in obesity treatment

Jules R Altfas · BMC Psychiatry · 2002

DOI 10.1186/1471-244x-2-9

cross_sectional · n=215Cited 238×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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