Medical experts have warned that depression can double someone’s chances of becoming obese. The researchers have said that the longer someone has the condition the greater their chances of developing life-threatening weight problems.
The findings have been published in the British Medical Journal and indicate that the correlation between depression and weight is due to those suffering from depression or anxiety being more likely to develop eating disorders.
Even just one episode of depression made someone 33% more likely to become obese, while those who at three different points of assessment were suffering from mental health problems were twice as likely to be overweight.
The scientists studied 4,363 civil servants from Britain between 1985 and 2004. All were between 35 and 55 years old and had their mental health assessed and their body mass index measures at regular points. Even when the side-effects of depression medication were taken into account there was still a strong link between their mental health and weight.
The researchers, from University College London, have called for further research to be done into the links between the two conditions in the wider population. In the same journal, an Australian team suggested that obese people were more likely to become depressed due to the social stigma attached to their size.