Visceral Adipose Tissue Accumulation in Children With Obesity and Co-occurring ADHD: A Case-Control Analysis of Body Fat Distribution Patterns.

This study investigates differences in visceral adipose tissue (VAT) distribution and metabolic profiles among children aged 6–12 years with co-occurring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and obesity (ADHD + Obesity), obesity alone, and healthy controls. Conducted at Beijing Children's Hospital, the cross-sectional analysis of 306 children found that those with ADHD + Obesity exhibited significantly greater visceral fat area and fat mass index than children with obesity only, despite similar overall obesity severity measured by BMI z-scores. The ADHD + Obesity group also showed a more adverse metabolic profile, including elevated liver enzymes and fasting glucose, and a higher prevalence of impaired fasting glucose compared to controls. These findings suggest that excess visceral adiposity is a distinct phenotypic feature of ADHD-associated obesity, highlighting the need for integrated clinical management addressing both neurobehavioral and metabolic factors.