NEW STUDY

ADHD Tied to Obesity

In men.

According to a new study by the medical journal Pediatrics, men who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in elementary school are more likely to be obese as adults. The study followed 207 boys, ages 6 to 12, who had been diagnosed with ADHD into adulthood. Scientists then compared that data with a different set of 178 boys, all without ADHD. The results showed the boys with ADHD were twice as likely to be obese by middle age. Some researchers theorize that medicines used to treat the disease, such as Ritalin and Adderall, suppress the boys’ appetites and stunt growth. Others suggest there are “biological underpinnings” of both obesity and ADHD.