Age and leptinemia association with anxiety and depression symptoms in overweight middle-aged women

Abstract

Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the effect of menopause and of postmenopausal stages on depression and anxiety symptoms, and whether these symptoms associate with anthropometric, metabolic, and hormonal parameters in midlife women. Methods: Postmenopausal women (age 50-65), either at early (EPM, n=33) or late (LPM, n = 23) postmenopause, and 23 premenopausal controls (PreM, age 40-50), matched for BMI with the PM groups, were studied. Blood biochemical and hormonal determinations, bioimpedance anthropometry, and depression and anxiety symptoms (Beck's depression [BDI] and anxiety [BAI] inventories) were conducted. Results: The BAI score was higher in both PM groups than in the PreM group. In contrast, only the LPM group showed a significantly elevated BDI score. All groups presented overweight and abdominal obesity, having similar BMI and waist/hip ratio values. Both PM groups showed insulin resistance, whereas only the LPM group presented decreased skeletal muscle mass and basal metabolic rate. Correlation analysis, including all 79 middle-aged women, showed age, percentage body fat, waist/hip ratio, and leptinemia to correlate positively with the anxiety and depression scores. Multivariate regression showed leptin and age to associate positively with depressive- and anxious-like symptoms. Conclusions: Postmenopausal women presented impaired body composition, energy expenditure, insulin sensitivity, and mental symptoms, in comparison to similarly overweight premenopausal women. Among all the overweight midlife women, these symptoms were more strongly associated with age and leptin levels than with reproductive aging itself. The data indicate that, among overweight middle-aged women with abdominal obesity, the aging process and the development of leptin resistance are associated with impairment of mental health.

Ginkgo biloba extract (GbE) attenuates obesity and anxious/depressive-like behaviours induced by ovariectomy

“…In relation to depressive-like behaviours, the ovariectomized rats showed the highest frequency of immobility and the shortest latency to immobility, features highly indicative of a depressive-like state 29 . The present results agree with previous demonstrations of induction of anxious-and depressive-related behaviours by ovariectomy in rodents 4,30 as well as of increased depression and anxiety rates in postmenopausal women 2,12 . Similarly, it has been reported, in both rats and mice, that estrogen replacement attenuated the increased immobility and decrease of active behaviours induced by ovariectomy 31 .…”

Leptin Gene and Leptin Receptor Gene Polymorphisms in Alcohol Use Disorder: Findings Related to Psychopathology

“…One study found no difference in leptin levels between children with anxiety disorders and controls (78). In adult participants, low cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) leptin in females who recently attempted suicide was associated with higher anxiety, while patients who had moderate to severe anxiety had a higher free leptin index, and leptin was positively associated with anxiety in overweight women (43,79,80). Our results add to this literature by suggesting that genetic variation at LEPR may play a role in anxiety disorders.…”

Mental and Body Health: The Association between Psychological Factors, Overweight, and Blood Pressure in Young Adults

“…Future studies should consider larger samples and longitudinal assessments to better understand and explain this relationship. Finally, regarding anxiety, heterogeneous results on its relationship with both weight status [ 43 , 44 ] and BP [ 12 , 45 ] have been reported in previous studies. Regarding BP, a meta-analysis by Pan et al [ 4 ] showed that studies had found anxiety symptoms to be an independent risk factor for hypertension.…”