Depression and Body Mass Index, a U-shaped Association

Overview

Journal BMC Public Health

Publisher Biomed Central

Specialty Public Health

Date 2009 Jan 16

PMID 19144098

Citations 159

Authors

Leonore M de Wit

Annemieke van Straten

Marieke van Herten

Brenda W J H Penninx

Pim Cuijpers

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Background: Results of studies concerning the association between obesity and depression are conflicting. Some find a positive association, some a negative association and some find no association at all. Most studies, however, examine a linear association between Body Mass Index (BMI) and depression. The present study investigates if a nonlinear (U-shaped) trend is preferable over a linear trend to describe the relationship between BMI and depression, which means that both underweight and obesity are associated with depression.

Methods: We investigated the existence of such a U-curve in a sample of 43,534 individuals, aged between 18-90 years, who participated in a cross-sectional study (Continuous Survey of Living Conditions) of physical and mental health in the general population of the Netherlands. We calculated linear and nonlinear (quadratic) ANOVA with polynomial contrast and curve fit regression statistics to investigate whether there was a U-shaped trend in the association between BMI and depression.

Results: We find a very significant U-shaped association between BMI categories (underweight, normal, overweight and obesity) and depression (p <or= 0.001). There is a trend indicating a significant difference in the association between males and females (p = 0.05). We find a very significant U-shaped (quadratic) association between BMI (BMI2) and depression (p <or= 0.001), continuous BMI is not linearly associated with depression (p = 0.514).

Conclusion: The results of this study give evidence for a significant U-shaped trend in the association between BMI and depression.

Citing Articles

Endogenous opioid receptors and the feast or famine of maladaptive feeding.

K Sutton Hickey A, Matikainen-Ankney B Nat Commun. 2025; 16(1):2270.

PMID: 40050623 PMC: 11885478. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-025-57515-0.

The joint and interactive effects of the non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol ratio (NHHR) and body mass index on the risk of depression, as well as the mediating role of NHHR: results from NHANES 2005-2023.

Zhang L, Lai Y, Yan L, Fang J, Wang K Lipids Health Dis. 2025; 24(1):77.

PMID: 40022090 PMC: 11869543. DOI: 10.1186/s12944-025-02493-x.

Detecting Non-linear Dependence through Genome Wide Analysis.

Akingbuwa W, Nivard M bioRxiv. 2025; .

PMID: 39990333 PMC: 11844478. DOI: 10.1101/2025.02.12.637804.

Recording practices of body mass index, overweight and obesity by Dutch general practitioners: an observational study.

van den Hout W, van Peet P, Numans M, Mook-Kanamori D BMC Prim Care. 2025; 26(1):1.

PMID: 39748290 PMC: 11697458. DOI: 10.1186/s12875-024-02696-8.

The Relationship Between Psychological Factors and Nutritional Status in Adolescence.

Marinkovic B, Corluka B, Vukajlovic M, Bjelica B, Aksovic N, Bubanj S Children (Basel). 2024; 11(11).

PMID: 39594940 PMC: 11592419. DOI: 10.3390/children11111365.

References

Faith M, Matz P, Jorge M . Obesity-depression associations in the population. J Psychosom Res. 2002; 53(4):935-42. DOI: 10.1016/s0022-3999(02)00308-2. View

Rumpf H, Meyer C, Hapke U, John U . Screening for mental health: validity of the MHI-5 using DSM-IV Axis I psychiatric disorders as gold standard. Psychiatry Res. 2002; 105(3):243-53. DOI: 10.1016/s0165-1781(01)00329-8. View

Hill A, Roberts J . Body mass index: a comparison between self-reported and measured height and weight. J Public Health Med. 1998; 20(2):206-10. DOI: 10.1093/oxfordjournals.pubmed.a024744. View

Brown G, Harris T . Social origins of depression: a reply. Psychol Med. 1978; 8(4):577-88. DOI: 10.1017/s0033291700018791. View

Johnston E, Johnson S, McLeod P, Johnston M . The relation of body mass index to depressive symptoms. Can J Public Health. 2004; 95(3):179-83. PMC: 6976152. View

. Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry. Report of a WHO Expert Committee. World Health Organ Tech Rep Ser. 1995; 854:1-452. View

Stunkard A, Faith M, Allison K . Depression and obesity. Biol Psychiatry. 2003; 54(3):330-7. DOI: 10.1016/s0006-3223(03)00608-5. View

Becker E, Margraf J, Turke V, Soeder U, Neumer S . Obesity and mental illness in a representative sample of young women. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 2001; 25 Suppl 1:S5-9. DOI: 10.1038/sj.ijo.0801688. View

Folkman S, Lazarus R . Coping as a mediator of emotion. J Pers Soc Psychol. 1988; 54(3):466-75. View

10.

Richardson L, Garrison M, Drangsholt M, Mancl L, LeResche L . Associations between depressive symptoms and obesity during puberty. Gen Hosp Psychiatry. 2006; 28(4):313-20. DOI: 10.1016/j.genhosppsych.2006.03.007. View

11.

Cuijpers P, Smits N, Donker T, Have M, de Graaf R . Screening for mood and anxiety disorders with the five-item, the three-item, and the two-item Mental Health Inventory. Psychiatry Res. 2009; 168(3):250-5. DOI: 10.1016/j.psychres.2008.05.012. View

12.

Carpenter K, Hasin D, Allison D, Faith M . Relationships between obesity and DSM-IV major depressive disorder, suicide ideation, and suicide attempts: results from a general population study. Am J Public Health. 2000; 90(2):251-7. PMC: 1446144. DOI: 10.2105/ajph.90.2.251. View

13.

Friedman M, Brownell K . Psychological correlates of obesity: moving to the next research generation. Psychol Bull. 1995; 117(1):3-20. DOI: 10.1037/0033-2909.117.1.3. View

14.

Simon G, Von Korff M, Saunders K, Miglioretti D, Crane P, van Belle G . Association between obesity and psychiatric disorders in the US adult population. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2006; 63(7):824-30. PMC: 1913935. DOI: 10.1001/archpsyc.63.7.824. View

15.

Bergstrom R, Bostrom G . Relationship between questionnaire data and medical records of height, weight and body mass index. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord. 1992; 16(1):1-9. View

16.

Richardson L, Davis R, Poulton R, McCauley E, Moffitt T, Caspi A . A longitudinal evaluation of adolescent depression and adult obesity. Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2003; 157(8):739-45. DOI: 10.1001/archpedi.157.8.739. View

17.

Kress A, Peterson M, Hartzell M . Association between obesity and depressive symptoms among U.S. Military active duty service personnel, 2002. J Psychosom Res. 2006; 60(3):263-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.jpsychores.2005.08.011. View

18.

Goodman E, Whitaker R . A prospective study of the role of depression in the development and persistence of adolescent obesity. Pediatrics. 2002; 110(3):497-504. DOI: 10.1542/peds.110.3.497. View

19.

John U, Meyer C, Rumpf H, Hapke U . Relationships of psychiatric disorders with overweight and obesity in an adult general population. Obes Res. 2005; 13(1):101-9. DOI: 10.1038/oby.2005.13. View

20.

Hasler G, Pine D, Kleinbaum D, Gamma A, Luckenbaugh D, Ajdacic V . Depressive symptoms during childhood and adult obesity: the Zurich Cohort Study. Mol Psychiatry. 2005; 10(9):842-50. DOI: 10.1038/sj.mp.4001671. View