Is there a relationship between PTSD and complicated obesity? A review of the literature (original) (raw)

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Obesity

American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 2009

Background: There is evidence from cross-sectional studies that posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may be associated with obesity. The aim of this study was to examine prospective longitudinal associations between PTSD and obesity in a community sample. Methods: A prospective, longitudinal, epidemiologic study with a representative community sample of adolescents and young adults (Nϭ3021, aged 14-24 years at baseline) was conducted in Munich, Germany. Participants were assessed four times between 1995 and 2005 with the Munich-Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Associations between obesity (BMI Ն30) and DSM-IV PTSD were evaluated in 2007, using cross-sectional and prospective data during young adulthood. Results: The cumulative lifetime incidence of obesity in the sample at 10-year follow-up during young adulthood was 4.3% (women, 4.6%; men, 4.0%). Among women but not among men, obesity was associated with a lifetime history of PTSD (ORϭ3.8; 95% CIϭ1.4, 10.7) in the cross-sectional analyses. Prospective longitudinal analyses from 4-year follow-up to 10-year follow-up confirmed that obesity was predicted by antecedent subthreshold and full PTSD (ORϭ3.0; 95% CIϭ1.3, 7.0) among women but not among men. There were no associations between other mental disorders and obesity in the prospective analyses. Conclusions: The findings indicate a possible causal pathway for the onset of obesity in females with PTSD symptoms. These findings need replication with regard to the pathophysiologic and behavioral mechanisms underlying this relationship.

Metabolic Syndrome and Mental Health in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Patients

2020

Background: Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is an abnormal physiologic and psychological reaction in person with severe traumatic history. In recent studies, the relationship between PTSD and some other disease apparently unrelated to psychological situations such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and metabolic syndrome has been revealed. Thus, the aim of this study was to survey the prevalence of metabolic syndrome and mental health in PTSD patients. Methods: The research design was retrospective cohort study. Subjects were consisted of 142 Iran-Iraq war veterans with PTSD (age: 40-60 years) and the control group was consisted of 153 veterans without PTSD. Data was collected using questionnaires, physical exams and laboratory tests.Results: Prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 45.1%in PTSD group and 17% in control group. In addition blood pressure, triglyceride and fasting blood sugar in PTSD group were significantly higher than control group (p<0.05). Also, PTSD patien...

The Role of Obesity in the Association Between Posttraumatic Stress Disorder and Incident Diabetes

JAMA psychiatry, 2018

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is associated with an increased risk of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Existing literature has adjusted for obesity in combination with other confounders, which does not allow estimating the contribution of obesity alone on the association of PTSD with incident T2DM. The current study was designed to determine if obesity accounted for the association between PTSD and incident T2DM. This cohort study used data from Veterans Health Administration medical records collected from patients with PTSD and without PTSD from 2008 to 2015. Patients were eligible for study inclusion if they were free of prevalent PTSD and T2DM for 12 months prior to index date. To estimate whether the association of PTSD and incident T2DM remained independent of obesity, Cox proportional hazard models were computed before and after adding obesity to the model and then further expanded by adding psychiatric disorders, psychotropic medications, physical conditions, smoking s...

Posttraumatic stress disorder and body mass index in military veterans

Progress in Neuro-psychopharmacology & Biological Psychiatry, 2006

Introduction: Current management of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) focuses on the psychiatric parameters of this condition. Little has been written about co-morbid overweight and obesity in PTSD. Methods: We used the database of the recently constituted PTSD program at the Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia to assess and better understand the prevalence and severity of overweight and obesity among military veterans with PTSD. Variables assessed included age, decade of life, height, weight, sex, race, and severity and chronicity of PTSD. We used PTSD CheckList-Military Version (PCL-M) to assess current complaints and service-connected disability (SCD) to estimate the long-term severity of PTSD. Results: Of the 221 male veterans extracted from our PTSD database for purposes of this study, 144 (65.2%) were in the age range of 50 to 59 years consistent with Vietnam veterans dominating our study population. Their mean body mass index (BMI) was 30.2 ± 5.8 kg/m 2 placing the typical veteran in the obese range. Far exceeding the current US population rate of 64.5%, 82.8% of our study population was either overweight or obese. Our sample had BMI measurements greater than those reported for non-PTSD veterans and also BMI measurements reported in the literature for veterans with PTSD. Current (PCL-M) and long-term (SCD) markers of PTSD did not relate to obesity. Conclusions: The prevalence of overweight and obesity among our veterans with PTSD far exceeded current US population findings and those of other veteran groups with and without PTSD. PTSD symptoms, whether assessed acutely or chronically, did not explain our findings. Prospective studies of PTSD and comorbidity are needed using larger study populations to better understand the relationships among PTSD, stress, and obesity.

Biopsychological and Nutritional Aspects of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Veterans

Polyphagia (over eating) is a common problem among those who have known trauma. This is particularly of Veterans who experience post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The biopsychological results of this condition may alter metabolism of important nutrients that can alter the physiological conditions of the body. The treatment for this type of trauma involves psychiatric, pharmaceutical, and dietary interventions.

Conflicting relationship between dietary intake and metabolic health in PTSD: A systematic review

Nutrition Research, 2018

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a disabling psychological disorder associated with significant physical comorbidities. There has been growing evidence to support the relationship between PTSD and cardiometabolic disease. Disordered eating behaviors often seen in people with PTSD symptoms may explain increased cardiometabolic risk. This systematic review aimed to assess the quality of evidence surrounding dietary intake of individuals with symptoms or a diagnosis of PTSD and their associated risk with cardiometabolic health outcomes. Online databases Scopus, ProQuest (Health), Embase, Medline, PsycINFO, and CINAHL with Full Text were searched for peer-reviewed English articles prior to December 2017 that examined dietary intake and cardiometabolic health outcomes in adults with PTSD symptoms or diagnosis. The quality of each study was graded based on the design and methodology using adapted quality assessment tools. Seven studies with five unique participant samples were included in the review. Study methods, design, populations, and outcomes were inconsistent across studies. Dietary intake was considerably varied and limited associations were demonstrated between dietary intake and cardiometabolic risk factors in the PTSD cohorts. Due to the variability of measures and study outcomes, there was insufficient evidence to determine the relationship between dietary intake and PTSD-related cardiometabolic health outcomes. Future studies are needed to examine these associations in individuals with PTSD: specifically higher quality descriptive studies are necessary to confirm a link between diet and cardiometabolic disease in PTSD.