Leo Sher, M.D.

A research report, “Associations between adiposity measures and depression and well-being scores: A cross-sectional analysis of middle- to older-aged adults” has recently been published in PLoS One (1).

Researchers from the University College Cork in Ireland included 1,821 men and women aged 46-73 years randomly selected from a large primary care center in a cross-sectional study. It was a sub-sample of the Cork and Kerry Diabetes and Heart Disease Study (Phase II–Mitchelstown Cohort) that was conducted between May 1, 2010, and April 30, 2011, in Mitchelstown, County Cork, Ireland.

Depression and well-being were assessed using the 20-item Centre for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the World Health Organization-Five (WHO-5) Well-Being Index. Linear regression analyses were performed to examine relationships between mental health scores (dependent variable) and adiposity (independent variable) defined using body mass index (BMI) and waist-height ratio while adjusting for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors and disease conditions.

BMI and waist-height ratio had a significant positive association with depression scores and a significant inverse association with well-being scores in males and females. These associations were maintained following adjustment for demographic variables and lifestyle factors. In final models where disease conditions were adjusted for, BMI and waist-height ratio associations with the CES-D score remained significant. In stratified analyses, relationships between measures of adiposity and depression were found to be stronger in females than males.

This study suggests that increased adiposity is significantly associated with poorer mental health, independent of lifestyle factors and disease conditions. The results of this study indicate that interventions for reducing depression should include better weight management population-level measures, especially, in middle- to older-aged populations.

Reference

1. Lonergan C, Millar SR, Kabir Z. Associations between adiposity measures and depression and well-being scores: A cross-sectional analysis of middle- to older-aged adults. PLoS One. 2024 Mar 6;19(3):e0299029. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0299029.