People with high insulin resistance are twice as likely to experience a major depressive episode.
- In France, it is estimated that nearly one person in five has suffered or will suffer from depression during their lifetime.
- Depression is a disease that affects all ages, from childhood to very late in life.
Excessive caloric intake, lack of exercise, stress, poor quality sleep… Increasingly frequent, insulin resistance is linked to several factors. It can lead to chronically high blood sugar, and even type 2 diabetes if levels rise above a certain threshold. But according to this new research published in theAmerican Journal of Psychiatryinsulin resistance may also increase the risk of depression.
These results are based on the analysis of a Dutch longitudinal study (still ongoing) based on the follow-up of more than 3,000 participants to learn more about the causes and consequences of depression. The team of Stanford researchers looked at data from 601 men and women with an average age of 41 who served as control subjects for the Dutch study. At the time of enrollment, participants had never suffered from depression or anxiety.
Their level of insulin resistance was assessed according to several criteria: fasting blood sugar, waist circumference and the level of what is called “good cholesterol”. The next step was to test to what extent high insulin resistance could worsen the risk of depression.
An increased risk from the first years of diabetes
According to the results obtained, a moderate increase in insulin resistance measured from the “good cholesterol” of the participants was linked to an 89% increase in the rate of new cases of major depressive disorder. Every 5 centimeter increase in abdominal fat was also associated with an 11% higher rate of depression, while an increase in fasting blood sugar of 18 milligrams per deciliter of blood could promote a 37 percent higher rate of depression. %.
People who developed pre-diabetes during the first two years of the study also had a 2.66 times higher risk of major depression after nine years of follow-up, compared to those whose blood sugar results fasting were normal after two years.
Linking metabolic status to mood disorders
Major depressive disorders are frequent and multifactorial. While some causes are difficult to eradicate (stress, bereavement, illness, etc.), there are solutions to combat insulin resistance, in particular through a better diet, physical exercise and, if necessary, by medication.
This is not the first time that a parallel has been drawn between insulin resistance and depression: “dAssociations between insulin resistance and several mental disorders have already been established. For example, around 40% of patients with mood disorders have been shown to be insulin resistant.“, develops Natalie Rasgon, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, who supervised the study. “It’s time for healthcare providers to consider the metabolic status of people with mood disorders and vice versa, when assessing the mood of patients with metabolic diseases such as obesity and hypertension“, supports the Pre Rasgon.
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