Mental disorders and increased risk of obesity: possible link

People with common mental disorders are at increased risk of becoming obese, according to new UCL research. Professor Mika Kivimäki of UCL Epidemiology & Public Health led research published today on the website of the British Medical Journal that shows that individuals with chronic or repeat episodes of common mental disorders, such as depression and anxiety, are particularly at risk of becoming obese. Previous studies report contradictory results and it remains unclear if common mental disorders lead to an increased risk of obesity, or if obesity is a risk factor for future mental disorders. Understanding the connection between these common conditions is vital because they have a significant impact on health care systems and could aid effective treatment and prevention. The UCL findings are based on four medical screenings of 4,363 British civil servants aged between 35 and 55 years old, over a 19-year period between 1985 and 2004 (the Whitehall II study). Each screening included a standardised assessment of common mental disorder (General Health Questionnaire) and measurement of height and weight from which body mass index (BMI) was calculated. After adjusting for several factors, weight gain was more common among individuals with common mental disorder symptoms at the start of the study than among those who were symptom free.