Relationship Between ADHD And Obesity

At present, the need to know the relationship between ADHD and obesity has been created. This occurs thanks to the prominence that these two disorders are having due to the number of people who suffer from it, being a challenge not only for their closest environment, but also for public health.

To begin with, it is important to define ADHD. This is a developmental disorder of attention, hyperactivity, and impulse control. It usually appears in childhood and, for the current media we have, has a chronic development. It can affect the social, academic and occupational performance of the person. Currently, there are three types: inattentive, hyperactive / impulsive, and mixed.

On the other hand, obesity is defined by the WHO as an excessive and abnormal accumulation of fat that becomes detrimental to the health of the person. Therefore, the main indicator or physical correlate of this is found in the body mass index of each individual.

These two pathologies can lead to an impairment in the development of children, having important consequences in their development, both physical and social. Therefore, research has begun on the relationship between ADHD and obesity.

What can be affected in ADHD and obesity?

One of the relationships that has been found in these disorders is dysfunction in the dopaminergic pathways. These pathways are responsible for mediating impulse control, reward sensitivity, appetite, and satiety. These are aspects that are affected, both in obesity and in attention deficit and hyperactivity.

Executive functions

One of the affectation in the road generates problems in executive functions. It is important to clarify that these functions are vital for the proper development of activities of daily life, such as studying or socializing with friends. The difficulties have been seen especially in the ability to establish plans and follow them, in addition to inhibition.

As a consequence, difficulties are generated in the development of control patterns and, therefore, ends up affecting the daily functioning of the person. In the case of patients with ADHD, they are more impulsive, along with deficiencies in the regulation of behavior.

In the case of people with obesity, they are prone to losing control when eating. This leads them to have bad eating habits, such as overeating or impulsively, decreasing physical activity. The sum of these aspects produces weight gain.

Reward

Another of the effects of a dysfunctional dopaminergic pathway is reward sensitivity. In it, eating and behavioral patterns can be affected by cognitive and physical activities. Resulting in difficulties in social performance.

The behavior of preferring quicker reinforcements (short activities or fast food) develops to those that take longer to arrive, but may have a better result (doing complete tasks or healthy food). In addition, it has been found that on many occasions they do not take into account the consequences of long-term decisions.

Can self-regulation be affected in ADHD and obesity?

In several studies carried out, it has been found that the relationship between ADHD and obesity is due to an important impairment in self-regulation.

It is important to clarify that self-regulation has an effect both on the development of some of the cognitive functions and on emotional regulation.

Therefore, the effects are remarkable both in their academic development and in social relationships. Having difficulties in this regard, it is difficult for them to control and manage their emotions, affecting the way they relate to others. It can create self-insecurity, to develop associated pathologies, such as anxiety or depression.

The context, another relevant factor in the relationship between ADHD and obesity

Likewise, there are two aspects that are relevant to the development of disorders. The first factor is the separation of the parents and the stress that this situation can generate, especially if it is not well managed by adults. This can make them insecure and turn them into a population at risk.

The second, the low educational level that parents can have. In it you can see factors of inadequate upbringing in eating habits or study and less appropriate health behaviors. This generates little control in the development of different activities and creates difficulties in their execution.

How can ADHD and obesity be treated?

Currently, one of the most used treatments for ADHD is medication. Especially stimulant drugs are being used, such as methylphenidate. Children who use this medicine are believed to have a lower body mass index. Therefore, this drug can help reduce appetite, helping in the intervention of people with obesity.

On the other hand and as much as it can be a very valuable help, medication should not be the main treatment for these disorders. For this reason, it is necessary to seek non-pharmacological resources in the intervention to improve problems in executive functions and self-regulation. This will help reduce academic and behavioral difficulties in the relationship between ADHD and obesity.

conclusion

In conclusion, we can say that the relationship between ADHD and obesity is close . When finding dysfunction in the dopaminergic pathways, difficulties are created in aspects such as sensitivity to reward, self-regulation or executive functions. This, added to difficulties in the social sphere, creates multiple problems to adequately develop their activities.

For this reason, it is important to work in a multidisciplinary way on the relationship between ADHD and obesity. Doing so will not only ensure that the intervention achieves faster results, but will also last longer.