Depressive Mood and Abdominal Fat Distribution in Overweight Premenopausal Women

Abstract

Objective: There is increasing evidence that depressive mood is associated with central obesity, but little is known about the association between depression and abdominal fat distribution. This study investigated this relationship in premenopausal women. Research Methods and Procedures:We recruited 101 overweight premenopausal women who had no eating disorders as defined using the DSM IV criteria. Depressive mood was assessed using Zung's Self-Rating Depression Scale (SDS). Areas of visceral (VAT) and subcutaneous (SAT) adipose tissue at the level of vertebral body L 4 -L 5 were measured using computed tomography. Associations of VAT, SAT, and the ratio of VAT to SAT with natural logarithmic transformation [(ln)]SDS were evaluated using linear regression. Anthropometric indices and physical fitness were also measured. Information on socioeconomic status, education level, and alcohol and smoking habits was obtained using self-administered questionnaires. A hospital nutritionist assessed nutritional status. All of these factors were adjusted for as possible confounding factors in the analyses. Results: The (ln)SDS score showed a positive association with the area of VAT, even after adjusting for the confounders mentioned above (p Ͻ 0.01). BMI, waist circumference, maximal oxygen uptake, and age were also associated with the area of VAT (all p Ͻ 0.05). In contrast, the (ln)SDS score was not associated with SAT (p Ͼ 0.10). Discussion: We showed that depressive mood is associated with VAT, not with SAT, in overweight premenopausal women. These findings may explain some of the association between depression and coronary heart disease. More studies are needed to elucidate the causal relationship.

Examination of central body fat deposition as a risk factor for loss-of-control eating

“…This measure has been shown to have excellent reliability and validity (47), and in our sample, Cronbach's a was 0.66. Depressive symptoms have been found to be related to centralized body fat deposition [e.g., Lee et al (48)]. In addition, as previously described, women with higher depression scores and body dissatisfaction reportedly have increased central fat deposition, as measured by waist-to-hip ratio.…”

Metabolic syndrome and major depressive disorder: Co-occurrence and pathophysiologic overlap

“…A recent study investigating weight distribution patterns in premenopausal women documented that MDD was associated with excess abdominal adipose tissue (but not with subcutaneous adipose tissue), suggesting a possible link to coronary heart disease [37].…”

Epidemiologia nutricional

“…Acredita-se, assim, que o papel da obesidade no risco de transtornos mentais, particularmente da depressão, seja maior entre as mulheres do que entre os homens e que este risco possa aumentar no período do climatério e menopausa. Contudo, os resultados dos estudos ainda apresentam controvérsias (Lee et al, 2005;Medeiros, Medeiros & Oliveira, 2006).…”