(29-03-03) Depression may raise women's obesity risk

NEW YORK: Anxiety disorders or depression, particularly at a young age, may put women at greater risk of obesity, say researchers.

In a study following 820 men and women from childhood through young adulthood, investigators found women with a history of either depression or anxiety - or, in many cases, both - tended to gain more weight over time.

When it came to depression, the earlier in life the disorder arose, the greater the weight gain.

For example, a 30-year-old woman whose depression was first recognised at the age of 14 weighed, on average, 4.5 to 6.8kg more than a similar woman without a history of depression. The weight difference was smaller when depression was diagnosed at 18.

Anxiety disorders were associated with an extra 2.7 to 5.4kg by adulthood, regardless of the age at diagnosis.

In contrast, depression and anxiety disorders did not seem to affect men's weight gain, the researchers found.

They report the findings in the March issue of the Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine.

Though the weight difference linked to depression and anxiety was "not enormous," the extra kilograms could lead to obesity in some women, said lead study author Sarah E Anderson, of the Friedman School of Nutrition at Tufts University in Boston.

Therefore, treating these disorders could help prevent obesity in some females, she and her colleagues conclude in the report. Further research is still needed, they say, to confirm that depression and anxiety are in fact causing the excess weight gain.

But some studies have already shown that this is possible. For example, there's evidence, said Ms Anderson, some people respond to depression by overeating.

And some of the same chemical messengers in the body, such as serotonin, are involved in both mood regulation and appetite, she noted. Depression is marked by lowered serotonin levels, whereas food - particularly carbohydrates - can temporarily boost those levels.

If the findings are correct, the researchers conclude, treating such women could become an important part of the obesity battle.

Source: REUTERS HEALTH

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