effects of high-protein diet on weight and height growth in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder receiving ritalin: a randomized clinical trial

Background: children with attentiondeficit/hyperactivity disorder (adhd) who take ritalin may be faced with appetite reduction and weight loss. herein, we aimed to evaluate the effects of a highprotein diet on weight and height growth in children with adhd receiving ritalin. methods: in this randomized controlled trial, performed during 20162018 in tehran, 50 children with adhd treated with ritalin were randomly assigned to the highprotein diet (hpd) group (35% of the total calories intake from protein) or the control group receiving a standard diet (std) (15% of the total calories from protein). the height and weight were measured in the standard mode and threeday food record was completed at baseline. the measurements were repeated on a monthly basis for 5 months. we used independent sample ttest to analyze the data. the study protocol was registered in the iranian registry of clinical trials with the code of irct2014062116465n4. results: a total of 40 children and adolescents (19 in hpd and 21 in std) completed the study. baseline characteristics between the trial arms were equal. after 5 months, the protein intake of hpd group was significantly higher based on a sevenday food record. in girls’ subgroup, after 5 months, the mean difference concerning height, weight, and bmi change in hpd group compared to the control group were respectively +0.5 cm (p =0.41), 2.5 kg (p=0.04), and 1.6 kg/m2 (p=0.01) while in boys’ subgroup, they were +0.4 cm (p=0.59), +0.3 kg (p =0.37), and+0.02 kg/m2 (p=0.51). conclusion: girls responded differently to the hpd. the bmi in the girls decreased significantly after 5 months of hpd consumption as a result of weight loss. this effect was not observed in the boys. this may be due to different patterns of growth and puberty in the two genders.