The Independent Role of Body Mass Index (BMI) and Severity of Depressive Symptoms on Biological Changes of Women Affected by Overweight/Obesity

Simona Iodice, Alessandro Ceresa, Cecilia Maria Esposito, Francesco Mucci, Diana Misaela Conti, Laura Pergoli, Letizia Tarantini, Luisella Vigna, Valentina Bollati, Massimiliano Buoli, Marta Serati and Stand-Up Project Group
Additional contact information
Simona Iodice: EPIGET LAB, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Alessandro Ceresa: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Cecilia Maria Esposito: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Francesco Mucci: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Diana Misaela Conti: Occupational Health Unit, Center of Obesity and Work EASO Collaborating Centers for Obesity Management, Fondazione Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
Laura Pergoli: EPIGET LAB, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Letizia Tarantini: EPIGET LAB, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Luisella Vigna: Occupational Health Unit, Center of Obesity and Work EASO Collaborating Centers for Obesity Management, Fondazione Ca’ Granda Ospedale Maggiore Policlinico, 20122 Milan, Italy
Valentina Bollati: EPIGET LAB, Department of Clinical Sciences and Community Health, University of Milan, Via San Barnaba 8, 20122 Milan, Italy
Massimiliano Buoli: Department of Pathophysiology and Transplantation, University of Milan, 20122 Milan, Italy
Marta Serati: Department of Mental Health, ASST Rhodense, 20024 Rho, Italy
Stand-Up Project Group: The members of the Stand-Up Project Group are acknowledged at the end of the article.

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: Background : Both obesity and depression are medical conditions associated with severe disability and biological abnormalities. Our aim was to study associations between Body Mass Index (BMI), depression and biological changes in women affected by overweight or obesity. Methods : Depressive symptoms were evaluated by the Beck Depression Inventory II (BDI-II) questionnaire in 200 women affected by overweight/obesity (mean age of the sample 52.7 ± 12.9 years, BMI 33.8 ± 5.5 kg/m 2 ). A blood sample was obtained for evaluation of biochemical (oxytocin and vitamin D), inflammatory and epigenetic (methylation of clock genes) parameters. Multivariable linear regression models were used to study the association between BMI or severity of depressive symptoms (BDI-II scores) with different biomarkers. Results : BMI was found to be associated with severity of depressive symptoms ( p = 0.050). Severity of obesity resulted to be associated with lower plasma levels of oxytocin ( p = 0.053), vitamin D deficiency ( p = 0.006) and higher plasma levels of IFN-? ( p = 0.004), IL-6 ( p = 0.013), IL-7 ( p = 0.013), TNF-alpha ( p = 0.036) and chemokine ligand 3 (CCL3) ( p = 0.013, R 2 = 0.03). Severity of depression was significantly associated with more methylation of clock genes CRY1 ( p = 0.034, R 2 = 0.16) and CRY2 ( p = 0.019, R 2 = 0.47). More severe depression together with higher levels of IL-8 strongly predicted lower methylation of CLOCK gene ( p = 0.009); Conclusions : Different biological abnormalities have been found to be independently associated with BMI and severity of depressive symptoms in women affected by overweight/obesity. The complex interplay between overweight, depression and biological changes will have to be better clarified by future studies.

Keywords: depression; inflammation; hormones; clock genes; interleukins; gender (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
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