Patients With Major Depression May Experience Insulin Resistance

Two biomarkers of insulin resistance appear to be associated with current, but not remitted, major depressive disorder (MDD), according to astudy published inJAMA Psychiatry.Insulin resistance “is a known risk factor for somatic and brain-based disorders, including cardiovascular disease, Alzheimer disease, and major depressive disorder,” wrote Kathleen Watson, Ph.D., of the Center for Neuroscience in Women’s Health at Stanford Medicine and colleagues. “However, there is little ev aluation of how [insulin resistance] is associated with specific features of major depression.”Watson and colleagues used data from 1,269 participants in the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety who had provided blood samples as part of the study. The participants were divided into three diagnostic groups: those with current MDD, remitted MDD, and no history of the disorder. The researchers evaluated the participants ’ levels of insulin resistance with two biomarkers: the quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) and the triglyceride to high-density lipoprotein (HDL) ratio. Depression status was assessed via the Composite International Diagnostic Interview, version 2.1; depression severity was asse ssed via the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology; and depression chronicity over the preceding four years was assessed via the life chart interview.Patients with current MDD were more likely to have insulin resistance compared with those with no history of the disorder. P...
Source: Psychiatr News - Category: Psychiatry Tags: depression insulin resistance JAMA Psychiatry major depressive disorder MDD Source Type: research