Hyperactive Girls May Face Grown-Up Health Challenges

She’s always restless, can’t sit still, chatters nonstop, and has little self-control. That’s the definition of “hyperactive,” according to parents in one study. Twenty-one years later, their hyperactive daughters were more likely than other women to have thickened arteries—and about a 20% greater risk for heart attack or stroke.

Why might hyperactivity in girlhood be linked to heart risks later? After all, “being active” can help prevent heart disease. So you’d think a girl in perpetual motion would actually be reducing her heart risks.

However, girls are generally expected to be quieter and calmer than boys. A girl whose behavior doesn’t fit these expectations can become very stressed. And that’s what may affect her health longterm, say researchers.

Psychosomatic Medicine, Vol. 68, No. 4