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High body weight variability is associated with increased risk of depression: a nationwide cohort study in South Korea

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  08 March 2022

Mi Jin Park Open the ORCID record for Mi Jin Park [Opens in a new window] ,
Juhwan Yoo ,
Kyungdo Han ,
Dong Wook Shin ,
Maurizio Fava ,
David Mischoulon  and
Hong Jin Jeon Open the ORCID record for Hong Jin Jeon [Opens in a new window]
Mi Jin Park
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Juhwan Yoo
Affiliation:
Department of Biomedicine & Health Science, The Catholic University of Korea, Seoul, South Korea
Kyungdo Han
Affiliation:
Department of Statistics and Actuarial Science, Soongsil University, Seoul, South Korea
Dong Wook Shin
Affiliation:
Department of Family Medicine, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea
Maurizio Fava
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
David Mischoulon
Affiliation:
Depression Clinical and Research Program, Massachusetts General Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA
Hong Jin Jeon*
Affiliation:
Department of Psychiatry, Depression Center, Samsung Medical Center, Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, South Korea Department of Health Sciences & Technology, Department of Medical Device Management & Research, and Department of Clinical Research Design & Evaluation, Samsung Advanced Institute for Health Sciences & Technology (SAIHST), Sungkyunkwan University, Seoul, South Korea
*
Author for correspondence: Hong Jin Jeon, E-mail: [email protected]
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Abstract

Background

Body weight variability (BWV) negatively affects the incidence and outcomes of various diseases, but the nature of the association between BWV and depression remains unclear. In this study, we aimed to test the hypothesis that BWV is associated with the risk of new-onset depression.

Methods

Data from a nationwide population-based cohort in the Korean National Health Insurance Service database were analyzed for 6 598 570 adults with no history of depression and reports of at least three health examinations. BWV was estimated using variability independent of the mean indices and divided into quartiles (Q1 lowest, Q4 highest BWV). Cox proportional hazard models were applied to assess the risk of depression according to the quartile of BWV.

Results

The incident rate for depression from Q1 to Q4 of BWV was 20.7, 20.3, 20.8, and 22.2 per 1000 person-years, respectively. BWV, especially high BWV, was associated with an increased risk of depression after adjusting for age, sex, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, income, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and dyslipidemia. The hazard ratio (HR) of new-onset depression was highest in Q4 relative to Q1 in the total population (HR 1.12, p < 0.0001) and was higher in women than in men (HR 1.72 v. 1.16, p < 0.0001). In stratified analyses, regardless of obesity or weight change status at baseline, the risk of depression was increased when bodyweight fluctuated highly during follow-up.

Conclusions

High BWV was associated with an increased risk of depression. Further studies need to evaluate the role of high BWV with respect to the onset of depression.

Keywords

Body weight variabilitydepressionobesityweight change
Type
Original Article
Information
Psychological Medicine , Volume 53 , Issue 8 , June 2023 , pp. 3719 - 3727
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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