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ADHD and Type 2 Diabetes in Young People: What the New Study Does and Doesn’t Show

by

Harold Robert Meyer, The ADD Resource Center · Reviewed Oct. 2, 2026 · Published Oct. 4, 2026

Analysis of 4.2 million records found ADHD far more common among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before age 20. Here is which way the arrow points, what earlier research shows, and what parents, adults, and students can do now.

Key Takeaway

ADHD is more common among young people with type 2 diabetes. Earlier research shows people with ADHD have about twice the odds, and most of that excess tracks treatable co-occurring conditions and everyday habits. The sensible response is an earlier, ordinary check, not alarm.

Key Findings

  • Among people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before age 20, 14.4% had ADHD, against 6.9% of matched peers without diabetes. The gap narrowed with age.
  • A 2023 meta-analysis of more than 5.7 million people found more than twice the odds of type 2 diabetes with ADHD. In a Swedish analysis the excess fell to 13% once education, co-occurring psychiatric conditions, and antipsychotic use were counted.
  • A genetic study found that body mass index, television time, and fewer years of schooling each statistically accounted for a large share of a modest link.
  • The new study is a conference presentation, observational, and not yet peer reviewed. It cannot show cause.

Which Way the Arrow Points

The headline says young people with type 2 diabetes are about twice as likely to have ADHD. That counts people with diabetes who have ADHD. It does not follow people with ADHD to see who develops diabetes. Earlier research did.

Jonathan Goldney and colleagues at the University of Leicester presented the analysis at the annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of Diabetes. They compared 4.2 million people newly diagnosed with type 2 diabetes in a U.S. records network between 2006 and 2026 with 17.1 million matched people without it. Among those diagnosed before age 20, 14.4% had ADHD versus 6.9%, and 5.72% had autism versus 1.79%. By ages 70 to 79 the ADHD gap nearly closed (0.25% versus 0.18%) (News-Medical report of the EASD release).

The authors name the limits themselves: hospital records prone to error, a hospital-only sample, no way to rule out unmeasured factors, and more healthcare contact among people with these conditions, which creates more chances to be diagnosed. They group ADHD and autism with dyslexia and dyspraxia under “neurodiversity.” Here we name the conditions, because the evidence differs for each, and ADHD has the deepest research behind it.

What Earlier Research Shows

A 2023 meta-analysis pooled four cohort studies covering more than 5.7 million people and found more than twice the odds of type 2 diabetes with ADHD. In the Swedish part of that work, which covered over 4.2 million adults, the excess dropped to 13% once education, co-occurring psychiatric conditions (mainly depression, anxiety, and substance use), and antipsychotic use were counted (summary from the ADHD Evidence Project).

A genetic analysis found that higher body mass index, more television time, and fewer years of schooling each statistically accounted for a large share of the link. ADHD and obesity also travel together in a large meta-analysis. The Leicester authors add sleep, physical activity, mental health, medication, and access to care as possible factors. Whether ADHD medication changes diabetes risk is unsettled, so no one should start or stop a medication because of this study.

“A statistic like this is a reason to look earlier, not a reason to worry harder.” – Harold Robert Meyer

What to Do Now

Parents. Ask the pediatrician whether your child meets the screening criteria. International pediatric guidelines recommend targeted testing from puberty or age 10, whichever comes first, for a child at or above the 85th percentile for body mass index who has at least one more risk factor, such as a first- or second-degree relative with type 2 diabetes, signs of insulin resistance, or an atypical antipsychotic that causes rapid weight gain. ADHD is not on that list, so mention it at the visit. A normal result is repeated at least every two to three years. If your child takes an antipsychotic, ask the prescriber how weight and blood sugar will be monitored, and do not stop it on your own. The guidelines also advise 9 to 11 hours of sleep for ages 5 to 13, and up to 60 minutes of daily vigorous or moderate activity.

Adults. Ask whether an A1c blood test is due at your next physical, and tell the doctor you have ADHD. Treating depression, anxiety, and substance use may lower the risk, which is one reason therapy still matters when ADHD is neurological. If you have type 2 diabetes and suspect ADHD, a study at a Syracuse diabetes clinic screened adults with a symptom questionnaire and found ADHD symptoms far more common than diagnoses ??? exact percentages not re-verified ???. A questionnaire is not a diagnosis, but it is a reason to ask your diabetes team for an evaluation. Ask for written instructions and reminders.

Students. Keep a yearly physical, protect your sleep, and notice skipped meals and long stretches of sitting before they become routine. Tell the clinician you have ADHD.

A Note for Pediatricians, Primary Care Clinicians, and Diabetes Teams

Check both directions. In youth and young adults with new type 2 diabetes, ask about ADHD and autism, and consider written instructions and reminders. In patients with ADHD, consider earlier metabolic screening. In a Swedish register of 80,607 adults with type 2 diabetes, those with ADHD were diagnosed about 11 years younger (median 45.6 versus 56.9) with a higher body mass index at diagnosis (about 1.9 kg/m²), and the authors note that diabetes guidelines do not address ADHD.

The Next Step

Before your next appointment, write one line on the agenda: “ADHD is in the picture. Is a diabetes check due?” Our piece on the yearly ADHD appointment shows how to make that visit cover physical health as well as the prescription.

Synopsis

A conference analysis of 4.2 million U.S. records found ADHD in 14.4% of people diagnosed with type 2 diabetes before age 20, against 6.9% of matched peers. This piece explains which way the arrow points, why earlier cohort and genetic studies suggest co-occurring conditions and body mass index carry much of the risk, and what parents, adults, and students can do now, including a screening conversation with a clinician.

Topic: Coexisting Conditions (primary), Physical Health, Research Audience: Parents and caregivers, adults (including young adults and college students), teens, clinicians and prescribers Keywords: early-onset type 2 diabetes, co-occurring conditions, body mass index, screening, atypical antipsychotics

Bibliography

  • Cortese, S., Moreira-Maia, C. R., St. Fleur, D., Morcillo-Peñalver, C., Rohde, L. A., & Faraone, S. V. (2016). Association between ADHD and obesity: A systematic review and meta-analysis. American Journal of Psychiatry, 173, 34–43. DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.2015.15020266
  • Dong, Z., Liu, S., Lundholm, C., Brikell, I., et al. ??? full author list and DOI not verified ??? (2026). ADHD and cardiometabolic risk profile in adults with type 2 diabetes: A longitudinal register-based study. BMJ Open, 16(7), e113372. Journal article page
  • European Association for the Study of Diabetes. (2026, September 27). Neurodivergent youth face higher risk of early-onset type 2 diabetes [Analysis presented at the EASD Annual Meeting; reported by News-Medical]. News-Medical report
  • Garcia-Argibay, M., Li, L., Du Rietz, E., Zhang, L., Yao, H., Jendle, J., Ramos-Quiroga, J. A., Ribasés, M., Chang, Z., Brikell, I., Cortese, S., & Larsson, H. (2023). The association between type 2 diabetes and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: A systematic review, meta-analysis, and population-based sibling study. Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews, 147, 105076. DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105076
  • Shah, A. S., Barrientos-Pérez, M., Chang, N., Fu, J.-F., Hannon, T. S., Kelsey, M., Peña, A. S., Pinhas-Hamiel, O., Urakami, T., Wicklow, B., Wong, J., & Mahmud, F. H. (2024). ISPAD clinical practice consensus guidelines 2024: Type 2 diabetes in children and adolescents. Hormone Research in Paediatrics, 97(6), 555–583. DOI: 10.1159/000543033
  • Zare Dehnavi, A., Zhang-James, Y., Draytsel, D., Carguello, B., Faraone, S. V., & Weinstock, R. S. (2023). Association of ADHD symptoms with type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular comorbidities in adults receiving outpatient diabetes care. Journal of Clinical & Translational Endocrinology, 32, 100318. DOI: 10.1016/j.jcte.2023.100318
  • Zhang, J., Chen, Z. K., Triatin, R. D., Snieder, H., Thio, C. H. L., & Hartman, C. A. (2024). Mediating pathways between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and type 2 diabetes mellitus: Evidence from a two-step and multivariable Mendelian randomization study. Epidemiology and Psychiatric Sciences, 33, e54. DOI: 10.1017/S2045796024000593

Resources

About the Author

Harold Robert Meyer founded The ADD Resource Center in 1993 and has spent more than thirty years translating the lived experience of ADHD into practical guidance for individuals, families, and the clinicians and educators who work with them. He co-founded CHADD of New York in 1989 and went on to serve on CHADD National’s board and executive committee, including as Vice President of Finance. He was later elected to lead the Institute for the Advancement of ADHD Coaching. An author and international speaker, he has presented at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting, CHADD national and local conferences, NYU Langone, Mount Sinai Medical Center, and Weill Cornell Medical College. Reach him at [email protected].

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