Depression May Compound Diabetes Risk

Individuals with depression and metabolic risk factors—such as obesity, elevated blood sugar, and high blood pressure—are 6 times more likely to develop type 2 diabetes than healthy individuals, according to new research.

Mental health issues often occur in individuals with type 2 diabetes and are thought to develop from lifestyle-related and biologic factors, such as inactivity and poor diet. However, the interaction between depression and metabolic symptoms as risk factors for type 2 diabetes was not well understood.
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To conduct their study, the researchers followed 2525 adults aged 40 to 69 years participating in the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Study (EMHS) in Quebec, Canada, between July 2009 and October 2010.

Participants were separated into 4 groups: group 1 had both depression and metabolic risk factors, group 2 had depression only, group 3 had metabolic risk factors only, and group 4 was a control group without depression and metabolic risk factors.

After a 4.5-year follow-up, researchers found that 87 participants had developed diabetes, and adults with both depression and metabolic risk factors had the highest risk of developing the disease—6 times higher than the control group. Those with metabolic risk factors but without depression were about 4 times more likely to have diabetes than the control group.

“Our study highlights the interaction between depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes,” the researchers concluded. “Early identification, monitoring, and a comprehensive management approach of both conditions might be an important diabetes prevention strategy.”

—Amanda Balbi

Reference:
Schmitz N, Deschênes SS, Burns RJ, et al. Depression and risk of type 2 diabetes: The potential role of metabolic factors [published online February 23, 2016]. Mol Psychiatry. doi:10.1038/mp.2016.7.