Accumulation of visceral fat and depression

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Numerous studies have shown that depression is linked to an increased risk of heart disease, but exactly how has never been clear.

Now, scientists at Rush University Medical Center have shown that depression is linked with the accumulation of visceral fat, the kind of fat packed between internal organs at the waistline, which has long been known to increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

The study is posted online and would be reported in the recent issue of Psychosomatic Medicine

"Our results suggest that central adiposity which is usually called belly fat is an important pathway by which depression contributes to the risk for cardiovascular disease and diabetes," said Lynda Powell, PhD, chairperson of the Department of Preventive Medicine at Rush and the study's principal investigator. "In our study, depressive symptoms were clearly correlation to deposits of visceral fat, which is the type of fat involved in disease".

The study included 409 middle-aged women, about half African-American and half Caucasian, who were participating in the Women in the South Side Health Project (WISH) in Chicago, a longitudinal study of the menopausal transition. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a common screening test, and visceral fat measured with a Computerized axial tomography scan. Eventhough waist size is often used as a proxy for the amount of visceral fat, it is an inaccurate measure because it includes subcutaneous fat, or fat deposited just beneath the skin.

The scientists found a strong connection between depression and visceral fat, especially among overweight and obese women. The results were the same even when the analysis adjusted for other variables that might explain the accumulation of visceral fat, such as the level of physical activity. The study found no association between depressive symptoms and subcutaneous fat. The findings were the same for both black and white women.

Powell speculated that depression triggers the accumulation of visceral fat by means of certain chemical changes in the body like the production of cortisol and inflammatory compounds but said that more studies are needed to pinpoint the exact mechanism.


Posted by: JoAnn    Source