Individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or attention‐deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may have unhealthy bodyweight. A total of 95 studies were included in the meta‐analysis.The pooled estimates of the prevalence of obesity, overweight and underweight were 21.8%, 19.8% and 6.4% in individuals with ASD and 14.7%, 20.9% and 4.0% in individuals with ADHD. In subgroup analyses, an increasing trend in the prevalence of unhealthy weight was observed from children aged 2 to 5 years to adults with ASD [obesity: from 16.7% to 31.3%, overweight: from 16.2% to 27.2%, underweight from 5.3% to 8.6%] and from children aged 6 to 12 years to adults with ADHD [obesity: from 13.5% to 19.3%, overweight: from 18.8% to 31.2%]. The worrisome epidemic of obesity and overweight in individuals with ASD, ADHD highlighted the need for weight management.

Interestingly, recent evidence pointed to possible sex effects. In a sibling pairs study, Do and colleagues found that unique or non-shared environmental influences contributed to the relationship between ADHD and obesity in males, whilst genetic factors contributed to the relationship in females. The reasons for this dissociation deserve further elucidation.

An intriguing line of research has pointed to a possible role of disrupted sleep patterns. This is based on the premise that excessive daytime sleepiness [EDS], caused by sleep disturbance or manifesting itself as a primary disorder, contributes to ADHD symptoms. Indeed, according to the “hypoarousal theory’’ of ADHD initially formulated by Weinberg and Brumback, subjects with ADHD symptoms [or at least a subgroup of them] might actually be sleepier than controls, and their hyperactivity and impulsivity would be aimed to stay awake and alert, to counteract the tendency to fall asleep. Interestingly, individual with obesity have been found to present with higher than expected rates of EDS, which may be due to sleep disordered breathing or to metabolic and/or circadian abnormalities.

A recent small study found significantly lower plasma levels of adiponectin and significantly higher levels of the leptin/adiponectin [L/A] ratio in the ADHD group [n = 36] compared with healthy controls [n = 40], suggesting that a low adiponectin level and high L/A may underlie the link ADHD–obesity. Unfortunately, the cross-sectional and correlational nature of the study prevents any causal inference to be drawn.

Originally Posted By DustinTheHuss⏩

Originally Posted By RICHSTRONG⏩

Originally Posted By DustinTheHuss⏩

Originally Posted By entropy91⏩

Originally Posted By DustinTheHuss⏩

Whilst the mechanisms leading from obesity to ADHD may not seem straightforward to understand, it has been hypothesized that obesity may lead to ADHD symptoms via sleep disordered breathing (SDB). In fact, SDB is associated with obesity and has been shown to lead to ADHD-like symptoms.

Originally Posted By CBRIT89⏩

Originally Posted By DustinTheHuss⏩

Originally Posted By katya422⏩

Originally Posted By DizzySmalls⏩

Originally Posted By katya422⏩

Originally Posted By DizzySmalls⏩

Originally Posted By Silencespeaks⏩

Executive function deficits:Maintaining a healthy weight requires robust executive functioning skills — used for everything from planning balanced meals to sticking with that daily run. People with ADHD have naturally weaker executive functions, which makes starting (and keeping up with) a healthy daily routine much more taxing.

Impulsivity:ADHD and impulsivity are not synonymous, but individuals who do struggle with it know the devastating effect it can have on health. We are all bombarded with tantalizing (i.e. high-fat, high-sugar, high-carb) food on a daily basis. Most people can successfully manage their food-related impulses — and say no to a daily doughnut at the coffee shop, for instance. People with ADHD-fueled impulsivity cannot. Their impulsivity takes the wheel and they reach for (and devour) the junk food before their mind catches up to say, “No!”

Poor interoceptive awareness:Interoceptive awareness helps us sense what’s going on inside our bodies — whether that’s hunger cues, thirst markers, or physical fatigue. A person with ADHD, however, is oriented outward — always looking for the next source of stimulation. As a result, she may struggle to pay attention to and make sense of what her body is telling her. Someone with ADHD is more likely to interpret thirst (or boredom, or exhaustion) as hunger, and will often turn to food to fulfill that unclear internal need.

Poor sleep habits:A brain that’s constantly whirring will find it hard to “shut down” at the end of the day and fall asleep, so it’s no surprise that ADHD brings with it fitful or disordered sleep. And a wealth of research finds that sleep deprivation is a large factor in promoting obesity. When our bodies are sleep deprived, our brains release hormones that push us to overeat — particularly unhealthy foods that are high in fat and sugar. Simultaneously, our metabolism drops as our bodies attempt to conserve fat. This is an evolutionary relic of our caveman past — when lack of sleep usually meant famine — but in modern times, it backfires on sleep-deprived ADHD bodies.

“Procrastineating:” There’s an ADHD tendency to put off boring tasks by eating instead, a phenomenon that’s been dubbed “procrastineating.” Ordering, waiting for, and devouring a cheesy pizza is infinitely more interesting to the ADHD brain than is writing a term paper. Therefore snacking becomes a tempting — albeit unhealthy — form of procrastination. (And it certainly doesn’t help us get our work done any faster, either!)

Low levels of neurotransmitters:ADHD is a neurological condition traced back to the brain’s neurotransmitters. The chemicals dopamine and GABA exist in insufficient amounts in the brains of people with ADHD. Dopamine regulates and promotes arousal; low levels of dopamine result in an under-aroused, “bored” brain. GABA controls inhibition. A person with adequate levels of these neurotransmitters can typically stop himself from eating an entire box of cookies. Someone with low levels does not receive the brain signals alerting him to potential long-term harm — hos brain focuses only on how delicious (and stimulating) the cookies are right now.