- Researchers report that obese people are more likely to develop depression and a decreased sense of well-being than non-obese people, regardless of lifestyle factors or disease.
- They point out that obese people often have to deal with stigma and social prejudice that can affect their mental health.
- The researchers added that the association between obesity and depression was stronger in women than in men.
Obesity is associated with poorer mental health, including depression and a lower sense of well-being, according to a study published today in the journal Pro Swan.
Researchers from University College Cork's School of Public Health in Ireland added that lifestyle factors do not appear to influence these mental health problems.
For the study, researchers examined the medical records of 1,821 randomly selected men and women between the ages of 46 and 73 from a large primary care center.
They used body mass index (BMI) and waist/height ratio to examine the relationship between mental health scores and obesity while controlling for lifestyle factors and disease status.
The scientists used the Center for Epidemiological Research's 20-item depression scale and the World Health Organization's five happiness indexes.
Before the study began, participants completed an overnight fast and provided blood samples for fasting blood glucose and glycated hemoglobin. The researchers measured height, weight, and waist circumference and calculated BMI.
Participants completed a general health and lifestyle questionnaire. Scientists used this information to assess demographics, lifestyle behaviors, and the presence of other diseases.
Among their findings, researchers reported that BMI and waist-to-height ratio, both indicators of obesity, were associated with increased depression and decreased happiness.
The researchers added that the association between obesity and depression was significantly higher in women than in men.
The researchers noted that their results were consistent with previous studies.
They said obesity is also interconnected with social and physical factors. For example, they noted that excess weight can lead to prejudice, discrimination, and social prejudice. It can also cause physical symptoms such as joint pain, back pain, and fibromyalgia.
Experts say these social and physical effects of obesity can lead to symptoms of depression.
“There is a biological link between obesity and depression,” said Dr. Eva Panigrahi, a psychologist at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center who was not involved in the study. “Obesity causes chronic physiological and neurological consequences, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, depression severity, gene-environment interactions, adverse childhood experiences, diet and physical activity, and stress. It may be contributing to the possible environment.”
“The relationship between obesity and depression can be described as a mutually reinforcing vicious cycle involving negative physiological and psychopathological factors,” Panigrahi said. Today's medical news.
The researchers suggested that targeted interventions to reduce depression should include better weight management at the population level.
The medical community has long linked depression and obesity, said Dr. Mir Ali, a bariatric surgeon and medical director of MemorialCare Surgical Weight Loss Center at Orange Coast Medical Center in California.
“This study further clarifies that relationship. But it's not surprising,” said Ali, who was not involved in the study. Today's medical news. “Obesity affects every organ, and the brain is an organ. Depression has many causes, and biology is one of them.”
“It's hard to say whether obesity causes depression or whether depression contributes to obesity,” Ali added. “My patients tell me they are constantly discriminated against because of their weight. Despite the knowledge we have gained about obesity, the social stigma surrounding it still exists.”
According to the National Council on Aging, examples of discrimination and prejudice against obese people include:
- Obese people are lazy, irresponsible, and lack willpower and self-control.
- Obese people only have themselves to blame.
- Larger body size is undesirable.
- Obese people are less intelligent and less capable of success.
- People with excess weight have poor hygiene.
Social stigma can cause serious social, psychological, and physical effects, including depression.
“There is increasing research on the perfection of antidepressant management that does not stimulate eating or weight gain,” Panigrahi says.
“Very few antidepressants (such as bupropion) are associated with weight loss. Incorporating evidence-based psychotherapy, along with medication management, is considered the gold standard treatment for depression.” she added.
“Evidence-based psychotherapies such as cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) have been proven to be effective approaches to treating depression and weight,” she says.
The main benefits of this study are:
- The researchers used validated depression and well-being measures.
- They used two indicators to measure obesity.
- There was equal representation by gender.
The main limitations of this study are that all participants were from a single primary care center and the majority were of Caucasian European descent. Results may not be representative of the general population.
Panigrahi points to further restrictions.
“The authors incorporated a cross-sectional design, which necessarily limits their ability to draw causal relationships,” she says.
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