Two-thirds of Americans have this condition.
Being overweight causes depression, particularly in women.
In addition, men who are very thin — but not thin women — are also more prone to depression.
While depression has been linked to obesity, scientists have debated whether it is a result of the diseases linked to obesity, such as diabetes.
This genetic study suggests that depression is directly linked to obesity, whether or not people have other health issues.
Professor Elina Hyppönen, who led the study, said:
“We separated the psychological component of obesity from the impact of obesity-related health problems using genes associated with higher body mass index (BMI), but with lower risk of diseases like diabetes.
These genes were just as strongly associated with depression as those genes associated with higher BMI and diabetes.
This suggests that being overweight causes depression both with and without related health issues — particularly in women”
The mental toll
The results come from over 48,000 people with depression who were compared to a group of 290,000 people who had provided medical and genetic data.
Dealing with the psychological consequences of being overweight is linked to depression, the scientists found.
Professor Hyppönen said:
“The current global obesity epidemic is very concerning.
Alongside depression, the two are estimated to cost the global community trillions of dollars each year.
Our research shows that being overweight doesn’t just increase the risks of chronic diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular disease; it can also lead to depression.”
Three-quarters of American men and around two-thirds of American women are overweight or obese.
Almost one-third of American children are overweight or obese.
Related
The study was published in the International Journal of Epidemiology (Tyrrell et al., 2018).
