The Association Between Depressive Symptoms and High-sensitivity C-reactive Protein: Is Body Mass Index a Moderator?

Overview

Journal Brain Behav Immun Health

Date 2024 May 3

PMID 38698915

Authors

Vanessa K Tassone

Michelle Wu

Shakila Meshkat

Sophie F Duffy

Smia Baig

Hyejung Jung

Wendy Lou

Venkat Bhat

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Objective: Depression and obesity are highly comorbid conditions with shared biological mechanisms. It remains unclear how depressive symptoms and body mass index (BMI) interact in relation to inflammation. This cross-sectional study investigated the independent associations of depressive symptoms and BMI with high sensitivity C-reactive protein (hs-CRP), as well as the moderating role of BMI on the depressive symptoms-hs-CRP association.

Methods: Participants ( = 8827) from the 2015-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys were aged ≥20 with a BMI ≥18.5 kg/m, completed the Depression Screener, and had hs-CRP data. Multivariable linear regression was used to analyze hs-CRP in relation to depressive symptoms and BMI. An interaction term was included to examine whether the depressive symptoms-hs-CRP relationship differs depending on BMI.

Results: There was a slight, albeit non-significant, increase in hs-CRP levels with each one-point increase in depressive symptoms (aCoef.Estm. = 0.01, 95% CI = -0.05, 0.06, = 0.754). Participants with overweight (aCoef.Estm. = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.61, 1.53, < 0.001) or obese (aCoef.Estm. = 3.51, 95% CI = 3.04, 3.98, < 0.001) BMIs had higher mean hs-CRP levels than those with a healthy BMI. There were no significant interactions between depressive symptoms and overweight (aCoef.Estm. = 0.04, 95% CI = -0.04, 0.13, = 0.278) or obese (aCoef.Estm. = 0.11, 95% CI = -0.01, 0.22, = 0.066) BMI indicating a lack of difference in the depressive symptoms-hs-CRP association across participants in the healthy versus overweight and obese ranges.

Conclusions: This study suggests that BMI might not act as a moderator in the association between depressive symptoms and hs-CRP. Results should be replicated in larger samples. Further research is warranted to understand underlying mechanisms.

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