Obesity in adolescents and their relationship with depression

• April 25, 2024

Depression has been clearly linked in children with obesity, but consider which precedes the other is like entering the eternal dilemma of what came first, the chicken or the egg. It is not clear what the cause is and what the effect is. Do children become depressed due to excess weight, or do the trend go in the other direction: do they gain weight because they are depressed?

Dr. Sarah Mustillo of Duke University Medical Center He has studied the interaction between the internal and external components of the human body. Their observations conclude that obesity often leads to a social stigma that can lead to the onset of depression, which affects the ability to interact normally with others in the conduct and maintenance of friendships. On the other hand, children suffering from clinical depression eat larger amounts of foods and they lose enthusiasm for physical activity and because they do not burn calories, they become obese.

The incidence of childhood obesity has skyrocketed. According to studies of pediatric medicine, the fact of having a condition of excess weight, causes an increased risk of suffering depression and other abnormalities of physical and mental health. Anyone who has struggled with the weight He intuitively knows that obesity affects those who suffer more in the years prior to adulthood than those who experience this condition for a shorter period of time.

A study conducted in North Carolina The one that evaluated the differences between sexes, in which a thousand Caucasian children were studied, revealed that barons are more prone to obesity with depression than girls.

The Dr. Mustillo , has also observed that the relationship between obesity and depression can be partially neuroendocrine . He explained that despite the teasing and isolation can lead to obese children to become depressed and there are still other complex mechanisms in the human body that affect obesity, depression, and behavioral problems. The axis HPA (hypothalamus , hypophysis Y adrenal ) secretes a stress hormone, called cortisol. This hormone is crucial in the metabolism of energy, among other functions. The downside of its activities is the deposit of body fat at abdomen .

When the accumulated fat remains unburned, the heart and other organs are pressured by the greater quantity that is required of said fat. Obesity, depression and other health concerns become a spiral, cyclical problem.

Let's go back to the original question of what precedes the other: obesity or depression? It seems that there is no definite cause consistent from one to another, what is almost certain is that there is a correlation. Exams neuroendocrine have indicated that body processes play an important role in influencing the accumulation of fat in the body.

Video Medicine: Physical Activity and Obesity in Mexican American Adolescents (April 2024).