Leptin, abdominal obesity, and onset of depression in older men and women - PubMed (original) (raw)

Multicenter Study

. 2012 Sep;73(9):1205-11.

doi: 10.4088/JCP.11m07552. Epub 2012 May 29.

Affiliations

Multicenter Study

Leptin, abdominal obesity, and onset of depression in older men and women

Yuri Milaneschi et al. J Clin Psychiatry. 2012 Sep.

Abstract

Objective: The mechanisms that underlie the association between abdominal obesity and depression risk in older persons are not well known, but the "leptin hypothesis" of depression suggests that leptin resistance may be involved in mood regulation. We tested whether high circulatory concentration of leptin, alone and in combination with visceral adiposity, is associated with onset of depression in a sample of older persons.

Method: Participants were 1,220 men and 1,282 women aged 70-79 years and enrolled in the Health, Aging, and Body Composition study. Serum concentration of leptin and abdominal visceral fat, ascertained by computed tomography, were assessed at baseline (April 1997-June 1998). Onset of depression, the primary outcome measure, was defined as a Center for Epidemiologic Studies-depression scale 10-item score ≥ 10 and/or new antidepressant medication use at any annual visit over a 5-year follow-up.

Results: Higher leptin level was associated with the risk of depression onset in men with high levels of visceral fat (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.25; 95% CI, 1.06-1.46; P = .01) but not in those with normal visceral fat (HR = 0.98; 95% CI, 0.80-1.19; P = .80) (leptin-by-visceral fat, P = .04). No interaction between leptin and visceral fat was detected in the analysis focusing on women (P = .90).

Conclusions: In older men, high leptin level was associated with an increased onset of depressive symptoms, especially in the presence of abdominal obesity, suggesting that underlying leptin resistance may play a role in this link. Differences in visceral fat levels and metabolic consequences may explain the absence of this association in women. These findings suggest a potential biological link between depression, obesity, and their joint association with negative health outcomes.

© Copyright 2012 Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Potential Conflicts of Interest: The authors do not have any conflict of interest in the publication of the manuscript.

Figures

Figure 1

Figure 1

Trajectories of CES-D10 scores during follow-up according to baseline leptin. a Estimated trajectories are adjusted for age, race, education level, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, 3MS score, number of chronic diseases, CVD, diabetes, visceral fat, (log)IL-6 and (log)CRP. Men: main effect, high leptin: _p_=0.40; time: p<0.0001; time2: _p_<0.0001; interaction term, high leptin-by-time: _p_=0.02. Women: main effect, high leptin: _p_=0.58; time: _p_<0.0001; time2: _p_<0.0001; interaction term, high leptin-by-time: _p_=0.68. b High leptin: >10.1 ng/mL in men and >28.9 ng/mL in women. Abbreviations: CES-D10, Center for Epidemiological Studies-Depression Scale 10-item.

Figure 2

Figure 2

Risk of depression onset across baseline levels of leptin by visceral fat. a HRs and 95%CIs are adjusted for age, race, education level, alcohol consumption, smoking status, physical activity, 3MS score, number of chronic diseases, CVD, diabetes, visceral fat, (log)IL-6 and (log)CRP. b Group: + v fat = high visceral fat (>195.5 cm2 in men and >165.9 cm2 in women); − v fat = normal visceral fat; + leptin = high leptin (>10.1 ng/mL in men and >28.9 ng/mL in women); − leptin = normal leptin.

Similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Zhao G, ESF, Li C, et al. Waist Circumference, Abdominal Obesity, and Depression among Overweight and Obese U.S. Adults: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2006. BMC. 2011;11:130. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Luppino FS, de Wit LM, Bouvy PF, et al. Overweight, obesity, and depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis of longitudinal studies. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67:220–229. - PubMed
    1. Vogelzangs N, Kritchevsky SB, Beekman AT, et al. Obesity and onset of significant depressive symptoms: results from a prospective community-based cohort study of older men and women. J Clin Psychiatry. 2009;71:391–399. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Tilg H, Moschen AR. Adipocytokines: mediators linking adipose tissue, inflammation and immunity. Nat Rev Immunol. 2006;6:772–783. - PubMed
    1. Kershaw EE, Flier JS. Adipose tissue as an endocrine organ. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2004;89:2548–2556. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms

Substances

Grants and funding

LinkOut - more resources