Diet and ADHD

Research indicates that insufficient sleep, low physical activity, and high media use are linked to attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity. This study by Roberts et al. (2024) aimed to (1) explore the connection between ADHD and overweight or obesity (OW/OB); (2) analyze how sleep duration, physical activity, and media use might moderate the risk of OW/OB; and (3) assess how these health behaviors impact OW/OB differently among medicated youth with ADHD, unmedicated youth with ADHD, and those without ADHD. The National Survey of Children's Health, a national survey of American caregivers, provided the data for this study in 2018 and 2019. The study focused on youth aged 11–17, with a final sample of 26,644 participants. Daily hours of sleep, physical activity, and media use were categorized based on whether they met national guideline recommendations. The prevalence of OW/OB was 7% higher among unmedicated youth with ADHD compared to their medicated counterparts. The OW/OB rates were similar between medicated youth with ADHD and those without ADHD. For medicated youth with ADHD, sleep duration, physical activity, and media use did not significantly affect OW/OB risk once the family poverty level was accounted for. However, for unmedicated youth with ADHD, adhering to recommended sleep duration was associated with a reduced risk of OW/OB. The findings suggest that focusing on improving sleep duration may be beneficial in managing OW/OB risk among youth with ADHD. The authors recommend that clinical providers and parents might consider prioritizing better sleep as part of their approach to addressing OW/OB in these individuals.