Regresar

Obesity and depression: A molecular and epidemiological view of two comorbid disorders

Abstract:

Currently, depression and obesity are chronic disorders considered public health problems because of their association with functional impairment, ominous healthcare costs, and increased morbidity and mortality rates worldwide. However, based on the high prevalence of both pathologies, a possible relationship between obesity and depression has been presumed and studied in recent years, demonstrated through observational epidemiological studies and meta-analyses, positioning them as commonly comorbid chronic diseases. Thus, obesity increases the risk of depression, while depression can lead to obesity, thus establishing a bidirectional relationship between them. From a molecular point of view, depression and obesity are chronic diseases where immune disruption in the form of neuroinflammation or low-grade systemic inflammation are the hallmark disturbances in the central and peripheral tissues alongside the classic obesity-related metabolic disorders, characterized by insulin and leptin resistance and cortisol increase leading to hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis dysregulation. However, how obesity and depression are linked at the pathophysiological level is not fully understood yet, so the present narrative review aims to determine the shared molecular basis of obesity and depression and the epidemiological evidence supporting the bidirectional link between these entities.