A study looked at eating patterns in college students with and without ADHD. It included 60 undergraduates aged 20 to 30 recruited from a single university faculty in Israel, 29 with a confirmed ADHD diagnosis and 31 without. Students reported their own height and weight and filled out a food frequency questionnaire.
The two groups ate about the same total amount. Servings, calories, fats, carbohydrates, and proteins did not differ between them. What differed was the mix of food. Students with ADHD ate a lower share of healthy foods relative to unhealthy foods. This gap showed up for servings (p = 0.005), calories (p = 0.003), carbohydrates (p = 0.003), and proteins (p = 0.003); the difference in fats was smaller and not always significant. The ADHD group also had a higher average body mass index (24.02 versus 21.17), though both group averages fell in the normal range. Within the ADHD group, regular and occasional medication users did not differ on any measure.
The authors say that in these students ADHD was linked not to general overeating but to a skewed balance of unhealthy versus healthy food. The sample was small, came from one faculty, and body mass index relied on self-report.
Source: Hershko S, Aronis A, Maeir A, et al.. Dysfunctional Eating Patterns of Adults With Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Journal of Nervous & Mental Disease (2018). doi:10.1097/NMD.0000000000000894