Lose Weight by Treating ADHD Symptoms

New research shows that controlling symptoms can improve weight-loss success.

Treating symptoms of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in obese individuals seems to help them lose weight, reports a new study published online on February 17 in the International Journal of Obesity.

Lead investigator Lance Levy, M.S., a Toronto nutritional scientist, and his coworkers found that over a third of the obese patients referred to their practice had ADHD. Most of these patients had tried to lose weight but had failed to do so. Levy and his colleagues suspected that some of the symptoms triggered by ADHD--inattention, restlessness, distractibility, impulsivity, and novelty seeking--might have sabotaged their weight-loss efforts. The study sought to determine whether treating ADHD symptoms with medication would help the patients lose weight.

Study results showed that the group that had received ADHD medication had lost 12 percent of their initial weight, whereas the group that had not received medication had gained 3 percent of their initial weight.

Read more about the study in Psychiatric News.