Does depression cause obesity or does obesity cause depression? ("...the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression.")

Does depression cause obesity or does obesity cause depression?

In their analysis, they accounted for a range of variables that could influence the results, including socioeconomic position, alcohol consumption, smoking, and physical activity.

They found that individuals with a favorable metabolic profile were just as likely to develop depression as individuals with obesity that carried genes predisposing them to develop metabolic conditions. This effect was most pronounced in women.

"To double-check their findings, they also took data from the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium. And their second analysis returned similar results, adding further weight to their conclusions.

'Our robust genetic analysis concludes that the psychological impact of being obese is likely to cause depression.'

Dr. Jess Tyrrell

These results provide vital insight, as Dr. Tyrrell explains, 'This is important to help target efforts to reduce depression, which makes it much harder for people to adopt [healthful] lifestyle habits.'"