title: Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Obesity: Update 2016.
abstract: While psychiatric comorbidities of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been extensively explored, less attention has been paid to somatic conditions possibly associated with this disorder. However, mounting evidence in the last decade pointed to a possible significant association between ADHD and certain somatic conditions, including obesity. This papers provides an update of a previous systematic review on the relationship between obesity and ADHD (Cortese and Vincenzi, Curr Top Behav Neurosci 9:199-218, 2012), focusing on pertinent peer-reviewed empirical papers published since 2012. We conducted a systematic search in PubMed, Ovid, and Web of Knowledge databases (search dates: from January 1st, 2012, to July 16th, 2016). We retained a total of 41 studies, providing information on the prevalence of obesity in individuals with ADHD, focusing on the rates of ADHD in individuals with obesity, or reporting data useful to gain insight into possible mechanisms underlying the putative association between ADHD and obesity. Overall, over the past 4 years, an increasing number of studies have assessed the prevalence of obesity in individuals with ADHD or the rates of ADHD in patients with obesity. Although findings are mixed across individual studies, meta-analytic evidence shows a significant association between ADHD and obesity, regardless of possible confounding factors such as psychiatric comorbidities. An increasing number of studies have also addressed possible mechanisms underlying the link between ADHD and obesity, highlighting the role, among others, of abnormal eating patterns, sedentary lifestyle, and possible common genetic alterations. Importantly, recent longitudinal studies support a causal role of ADHD in contributing to weight gain. The next generation of studies in the field should explore if and to which extent the treatment of comorbid ADHD in individuals with obesity may lead to long-term weight loss, ultimately improving their overall well-being and quality of life.
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Psychology, Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK. samuele.cortese@gmail.com.|The Child Study Center at NYU Langone Medical Center, New York, NY, USA. samuele.cortese@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Samuele
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Cortese
authors.affiliation: Academic Unit of Psychology, Developmental Brain-Behaviour Laboratory, University of Southampton, Southampton, UK.|Department of Woman and Child Health, University of Padua, Padua, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Tessari
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001289:Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology*; D015984:Causality; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity / Q000523:psychology; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D013223:Statistics as Topic; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: ADHD; Eating; Obesity; Overweight