Psychological impact of being overweight hits women twice as hard as men and can increases the risk of depression, study suggests
- Obesity has a direct link with depression and hits women harder than men
- Scientists at Exeter University studied the genes of 340,000 participants
- Study shows the risk of depression rose by 23 per cent in overweight women
Being overweight is directly linked to depression, a major study has concluded – and the psychological impact of obesity hits women twice as hard as men.
Scientists at Exeter University who looked at the genes of 340,000 people found those with a high body mass index (BMI) – a measure of whether a person is a healthy weight for their height – were more likely to suffer depression.
On the BMI scale, for which a score of 25 is considered overweight and 30 obese, every additional five points saw the risk of depression rise 11 per cent for men and 23 per cent for women.
Scientists at Exeter University who looked at the genes of 340,000 people found those with a high body mass index (BMI), and directly linked obesity with depression [File photo]
Dr Jess Tyrrell, of the University of Exeter Medical School, said: ‘Our genetic analysis concludes that the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression.
‘This is important to help target efforts to reduce depression, which makes it much harder for people to adopt healthy lifestyle habits.’
Every additional five BMI (Body Mass Index) points saw the risk of depression rise 11 per cent for men, above, and 23 per cent for women [File photo]
A report last year by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development showed UK obesity rates have nearly doubled since the 1990s.
Antidepressant use has tripled since 2000.
Source: Read Full Article