Obesity and depression: 2 closely related disorders in adolescent girls

Depression and obesity have already been associated, however, this study from the University of Rutgers-Camden (New Jersey) shows that adolescent girls who suffer from one of these disorders will increase their risk for the other disorder, later in life. This finding, documented in the International Journal of Obesity, reminds professionals and parents alike that adolescence is a critical period for the development of both depression and obesity.

Naomi Marmorstein, professor of psychology at Rutgers-Camden University and main author of the study, explains that the studies being sometimes contradictory on this association, her team wanted to clarify the link by following 1,500 adolescents, the age of 11 at 24, taking into account the recurrence or persistence of depression and obesity rather than focusing only on the appearance at a given age, of each of these disorders. The young participants were thus assessed at the ages of 11, 14, 17, 20, and 24, taking into account the weight, BMI and assessment of possible symptoms of depression.

The analysis finds that both depression occurring in early adolescence predicts obesity in late adolescence and obesity that occurs in late adolescence in women predicts the development of depression in adulthood. Precisely,
· Depression in early adolescence predicts the onset of obesity (OR: 3.76) in late adolescence in women,
· Obesity in late adolescence predicts the onset of depression (OR: 5.89) during adulthood in women.
· On the other hand, no significant association between the two disorders over time is identified in adolescents.

What explanations for this association? If the study did not directly investigate the reasons for these associations, the authors suggest that depression can lead to obesity through increased appetite, sleep disturbances and drowsiness, while the obesity can promote depression due to weight stigma, low self-esteem and increased sedentary lifestyle. Adolescence is the period of setting up adaptation mechanisms, explain the authors, a depressive episode at 14 years old can then freeze bad habits. It is also, in case of obesity, a period of hypersensitivity to stigma.

The practice of exercise, a basic prevention, in adolescents, of obesity and depression: Conclusion, efforts to prevent one of these disorders should simultaneously include both, in order to reduce the risk of comorbidity. When a teenage girl is being treated for depression, the clinician may also remind her of the importance of healthy eating and exercise. Exercise can help treat depression, it may be the first joint effort to prevent depression and obesity.

Source: International Journal of Obesity 2014 Jan 31. doi: 10.1038 / ijo.2014.19 Obesity and depression in adolescence and beyond: reciprocal risks (Visual © michaeljung – Fotolia.com)