Obesity may increase risk of mental health problems
Obesity is associated with a 25 per cent increase in the risk of developing mood and anxiety disorders compared with people who arent obese, say US researchers.
04-07-2006
People who are obese are known to have a higher risk of developing physical illnesses such as diabetes and heart disease, but less is understood about the link between obesity and psychiatric disorders. Dr Gregory E Simon of the Group Health Cooperative in Seattle and colleagues have now reported the results of their study of a large group of American adults who were interviewed at home as part of a national survey of mental disorders over 2001-03.
Of the 9,125 participants, 2,330 had a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or greater and were therefore considered obese. These people were found to have a higher prevalence of mood and anxiety disorders over their lifetime than those with a BMI of below 30. The associations were similar for men and women.
The estimated prevalence of lifetime mood disorder in those with BMIs below 30 and in those with BMIs 30 or higher translates to a population-attributable risk of 24 per cent, which indicates that nearly one-quarter of the cases of obesity in the general population are attributable to the association with mood disorder, state the authors.
The link between obesity and mood disorders was found to be strongest in non-Hispanic whites, and in people with higher education levels, suggesting an important role of social or cultural factors in mediating or moderating the relationship between obesity and mood disorders, say the authors.
The results are published in the journal Archives of General Psychiatry.
