Seoul National University Hospital researchers have linked childhood attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and methylphenidate exposure with higher adult overweight/obesity and slightly shorter adult height at ages 20 to 25 years.
Growing questions
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is commonly diagnosed in childhood. Methylphenidate (MPH) is the most widely prescribed treatment for alleviation of ADHD symptoms. Concerns have arisen around associations with growth and body composition, including height at adulthood and obesity.
Children with ADHD are at increased risk for unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, including irregular eating patterns, low levels of physical activity, and poor sleep quality, with links to obesity and shorter height than individuals without ADHD. MPH is known to suppress short-term appetite, and skipping meals and overeating due to appetite rebound may contribute to being overweight.
In the study, “ADHD and Methylphenidate Use in Prepubertal Children and BMI and Height at Adulthood,” published in JAMA Network Open, researchers conducted a nationwide retrospective cohort study to investigate associations of ADHD and MPH use in childhood with BMI and height at adulthood aged 20 to 25 years.
Data came from the Korean National Health Insurance Service, which covers over 97% of the Korean population and includes national health examinations. A total of 34,850 patients newly diagnosed with ADHD entered the cohort as children aged 6 to 11 (12,866) and adolescents aged 12 to 19 (21,984). Each was paired up with a control without ADHD. Methylphenidate exposure used prescriptions within four years after diagnosis, grouped by cumulative days of use.
Key findings
Children with ADHD reached adulthood with higher overweight and obesity than matched peers without ADHD, with prevalence 44.9% vs. 35.0%. Severe obesity was more common with ADHD, 14.9% vs. 9.3%. Height did not differ significantly between ADHD and non-ADHD groups.
Adults who had ADHD and received MPH also had a higher prevalence of overweight and obesity than matched peers without ADHD, 46.5% vs. 35.0%. The MPH group also had higher odds of short stature (~8%) than matched peers without ADHD, with reported height differences under 1 cm. Severe obesity prevalence was higher at 16.1% vs. 9.3%.
While the overall findings support previous observations, the scale of the findings indicate that they are manageable and may be able to be countered with increased attention to nutrition and sleep counseling.
Written for you by our author Justin Jackson, edited by Sadie Harley, —this article is the result of careful human work. We rely on readers like you to keep independent science journalism alive.
If this reporting matters to you,
please consider a donation (especially monthly).
You’ll get an ad-free account as a thank-you.
Publication details
Jihun Song et al, ADHD and Methylphenidate Use in Prepubertal Children and BMI and Height at Adulthood, JAMA Network Open (2026). DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.52019
Journal information:
JAMA Network Open
The content is provided for information purposes only.