Health
People With A.D.H.D. Are Likely to Die Significantly Earlier Than Their Peers, Study Finds
A study of more than 30,000 British adults diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, or A.D.H.D., found that, on average, they were dying earlier than their counterparts in the general population — around seven years earlier for men, and around nine for women.
The study, which was published Thursday in The British Journal of Psychiatry, is believed to be the first to use all-cause mortality data to estimate life expectancy in people with A.D.H.D. Previous studies have pointed to an array of risks associated with the condition, among them poverty, mental health disorders, smoking and substance abuse.
The authors cautioned that A.D.H.D. is substantially underdiagnosed and that the people in their study — most of them diagnosed as young adults — might be among the more severely affected. Still, they described their findings as “extremely concerning,” highlighting unmet needs that “require urgent attention.”
“It’s a big number, and it is worrying,” said Joshua Stott, a professor of aging and clinical psychology at University College London and an author of the study. “I see it as likely to be more about health inequality than anything else. But it’s quite a big health inequality.”
The study did not identify causes of early death among people with A.D.H.D. but found that they were twice as likely as the general population to smoke or abuse alcohol and that they had far higher rates of autism, self-harming behaviors and personality disorders than the general population. In adulthood, Dr. Stott said, “they find it harder to manage impulses, and have more risky behaviors.”
He said health care systems might need to adjust in order to better serve people with A.D.H.D., who may have sensory sensitivity or difficulty managing time or communicating with clinicians during brief appointments. He said he hoped treatments for substance abuse or depression could be adapted for patients with A.D.H.D.
“If it’s about systems, it’s malleable,” he said. “This doesn’t have to be.”
Previous studies have pointed to an unusual number of early deaths for people with A.D.H.D. A 2022 meta-analysis in the journal JAMA Pediatrics found that deaths from unnatural causes, such as accidents or suicide, were 2.81 times higher among those diagnosed with A.D.H.D. than in the general population.
A 2019 study that used actuarial tables to predict life expectancy concluded that adults diagnosed with A.D.H.D. in childhood had an 8.4-year reduction in life expectancy compared with the general population, something the authors attributed to reduced education and income, higher rates of smoking and alcohol consumption and reduced sleep.
Russell Barkley, the lead author of that study, said the data made it clear that A.D.H.D. should not be seen as a childhood disorder, like bed-wetting, but as a lifelong problem.
“To me, the best analog is diabetes,” said Dr. Barkley, a retired professor of clinical psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University. “This is a disorder that you’ve got to manage, like high blood pressure, like cholesterol and diabetes. You’ve got to treat this for life.”
The new study examined 9,561,450 patients in Britain’s National Health Service primary care practices, among whom 30,039 had been diagnosed with A.D.H.D. Each person in the A.D.H.D. group was matched with 10 peers without the disorder for the purposes of comparison. Among those with A.D.H.D., 193 male patients and 148 female patients died during the follow-up period, which lasted from 2000 to 2019.
Stephen Hinshaw, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Berkeley, who studies A.D.H.D. but was not involved in the new British research, described the study as “a major finding,” the first analysis of deaths of subjects diagnosed with the disorder. He said it was unfortunate that the subjects’ causes of death were not included.
“There are risk factors to work on,” he said. “That is the key limitation of the study, because it would be really important to know, in terms of prevention, should we be focused on suicidality? Better diet and exercise? Depression?”
Diagnosis of A.D.H.D. has shifted in recent years, as clinicians concluded that many older people, especially women and people of color, had gone undiagnosed early in life and could benefit from treatment. As first-time diagnoses surged among older people, prevalence has remained consistent among children, at around 11 percent in the United States and 5 percent in Britain.
Dr. Stott said he hoped that, as these demographic changes took hold, health care systems would make more effort to identify the needs of neurodivergent patients. In past decades, he said, they may have been viewed dismissively by caregivers, as “the naughty kid at school.”
“If you’re constantly told, as a kid, sit down, stop being so naughty — if you talk to people with A.D.H.D., that is their experience — stop talking, go and sit outside,” he said. “It’s all of these things that wear down at your life chances, in many ways.”
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More adults are suddenly developing allergic reactions later in life — and experts aren’t sure why.
Nearly 50% of adults developed at least one food allergy in adulthood, according to a 2019 investigation published in JAMA.
Illana Golant, founder and CEO of the Food and Allergy Fund (FAF) in New York City, told Fox News Digital that she developed allergies in her 40s.
GUT IMBALANCE MAY BE DRIVING AMERICA’S FOOD ALLERGY EPIDEMIC, EXPERTS WARN
“That is not fully understood at all or recognized … we don’t know why they’re starting at certain points,” she said.
FAF hosted a forum last week in Washington, D.C., attended by HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, FDA Chief Martin Makary and NIH Director Jay Bhattacharya.
Nearly 50% of adults develop food allergies later in life, studies have shown. (iStock)
Health officials and researchers are investigating whether allergies may be caused by gut health microbes.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Makary shared how the function of microbiomes has evolved over time.
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The intestine hosts over a billion different types of bacteria, which normally live in balance, according to Makary.
“But when it’s altered by the modern-day diet and by antibiotics and other exposures … that disequilibrium can cause inflammation [and] health problems, and it may be implicated in food allergies,” he said.
Ilana Golant, FAF founder and CEO (left), chats with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in Washington, D.C., at the Food Allergy Fund Forum. (Ashley J. DiMella/Fox News Digital)
Golant shared that there seems to be a “critical inflection point,” as some foods trigger adults more than children.
“Seafood shellfish [and] tree nuts seem to be proliferating among adults,” she noted.
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Shellfish was the top allergen in adults, according to a 2018 survey of over 40,000 people that was published in the Annals of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.
Golant said she luckily knew about allergies when she had her first anaphylactic reaction.
“If I didn’t know about food allergies, I would have thought I was having a heart attack,” said the founder of the Food and Allergy Fund. (iStock)
“If I didn’t know about food allergies, I would have thought I was having a heart attack,” she said. “Genetics can’t change so quickly. In a generation, food allergies have skyrocketed.”
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Approximately one in 10 adults are affected by food allergies, according to FAF.
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“It’s very much the perfect storm of a variety of environmental triggers,” Golant added. “We still don’t know which ones and … if there is one primary [trigger], but my guess is that more likely, it is a perfect storm.”
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Research has found that one specific spice may have profound effects on metabolic health.
Black cumin, known as Nigella sativa or black seed, is used in many Middle Eastern and Indian dishes like curries and naan. It’s also found in some baked goods and spice blends.
High-antioxidant black seed oil is also sold as a dietary supplement, often used to support immunity, reduce inflammation and improve digestive health.
EATING ONE TYPE OF NUT DAILY COULD LOWER ‘BAD’ CHOLESTEROL, IMPROVE HEART HEALTH, STUDY FINDS
A recent study published in the journal Food Science & Nutrition examined black cumin’s effect on cholesterol levels.
Researchers in Osaka, Japan, conducted laboratory cell tests and a randomized human trial in which participants consumed 5 grams of black cumin seed powder per day for eight weeks.
Black cumin, or black seed, is used in a variety of dishes for spice and flavor. (iStock)
Participants’ cholesterol levels and appetite levels were measured before and after they took the supplement.
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The human trial revealed a decrease in triglycerides, LDL (“bad”) cholesterol and total cholesterol, as well as an increase in HDL (“good”) cholesterol.
The findings also revealed a “significant improvement” in hunger levels, indicating black cumin’s possible benefits for appetite control.
Black cumin seed powder increased “good” cholesterol, according to the study. (iStock)
The researchers concluded that both in-vitro (lab) and human trials demonstrated black cumin’s “anti-adipogenic and lipid-lowering effects.”
“The study highlights the potential of [black cumin seed extract] in improving lipid metabolism,” the authors wrote. “These results suggest that black cumin seed may serve as a promising natural agent in obesity-related conditions, although further investigation involving comprehensive metabolic parameters is warranted.”
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Theresa Link, registered dietitian at Virta Health in Nebraska, reacted to these findings in an interview with Fox News Digital.
Cholesterol is “just one piece” of the cardiovascular health “puzzle,” the expert noted, which means these findings should be considered more broadly for metabolic health.
High-antioxidant black seed oil is also sold as a dietary supplement, often used to support immunity, reduce inflammation and improve digestive health. (iStock)
Link also referred to a 2021 study that found black seed oil led to greater weight loss in female participants who took it daily. The participants also reported feeling fuller, which “likely contributed to their success.”
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“While these short-term results are promising, the studies only lasted eight weeks,” the dietitian noted. “Black cumin seed alone isn’t a magic bullet for preventing obesity but may play a supportive role in weight management when combined with an overall healthy lifestyle.”
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The spice also contains a compound called thymoquinone, which is rich in antioxidants and could offer additional benefits.
“Longer-term studies are needed to confirm these effects and understand how N. sativa might fit into a broader approach to metabolic and cardiovascular health,” Link added.
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