“One in three people has insulin resistance in the United States,” says Dr. Shabani Sethi, a double board -certified psychiatrist and obesity medication at Stanford University School of Medicine. She emphasizes how this condition doubles a person’s risk of depression. But how are they connected? Let’s dive deeper.
What is insulin resistance?
Insulin resistance is a condition where the body does not respond to insulin as it should. Insulin is a hormone produced by the pancreas and is important for regulating blood sugar levels.
Insulin resistance can lead to elevated blood sugar levels and weight gain. If someone has blood glucose levels that are higher than normal but not high enough to be diagnosed as type 2 diabetes, they have prediabetes. If blood glucose levels continue to go up, you can develop type 2 diabetes, which can affect almost any parts of your body, including your heart, eyes, kidneys and nerves.
How is insulin resistance linked to depression?
Dr. Sethi is the founder of Stanford’s groundbreaking new fields, the metabolic psychiatry program, where she combines nutrition, metabolism and mental care. “One in three people has insulin resistance in the United States, and it doubles your risk of developing depression, even if you have not had any psychiatric history,” she told Dr. Mark Hyman, a leading functional medical doctor, on his podcast. Dr. Sethi explained about the new area of metabolic psychiatry and said: “Metabolic psychiatry thinks of metabolism and mental health connection, but it is the study of all metabolic dysfunctions, both systemic as well as central. So you can have dysfunction in the brain, and you can have the importance of the body and it is the body in the body in the body in the body.“So, how is insulin resistance linked to mental illness? “In primary care, I saw many patients who had diabetes or hypertension. But the people who had the more serious depression tended to have insulin resistance, or they had some other metabolic condition. Those with diabetes that were not well had depression,” she said. “In bipolar disorder, about 37-40% has metabolic syndrome,” she added. “If you have insulin resistance, it doubles your risk of developing depression, even if you have not had any psychiatric history. So there are many relationships, Dr. Sethi.
What research says?
A Stanford study from 2021 has linked insulin resistance to an increased risk of developing greater depressive disorder. “It has been shown that about 40% of patients suffering from mood disorders are insulin -resistant,” said Natalie Rasgon, MD, PHD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral science. The study Published online in American Journal of Psychiatry.The researchers at Stanford analyzed 601 men and women (control group for the Netherlands study), which had no history of depression or anxiety at the time of notification, and their average age was 41 years. They measured the three proxy of insulin resistance: solid blood sugar levels, waist circulation and the relationship between circulating triglyceride levels to high density lipoprotein (HDL), the good cholesterol.They investigated the tasks to see if the subjects that turned out to be insulin resistant had an increased nine -year risk of developing greater depressive disorder. With all three measures, the answer was yes: they discovered that a moderate increase in insulin resistance, measured by triglycerid-to-HDL ratio, was linked to an 89% increase in the speed of new cases of greater depressive disturbance. Similarly, any increase of 5 centimeters in abdominal fat was related to an 11% higher depression, and an increase in fasting plasma glucose of 18 milligrams per deciliter of blood was associated with a 37% higher depression.The researchers found that insulin resistance is a strong risk factor for serious problems, including not only type 2 diabetes, but also depression. “It is time for suppliers to consider the metabolic status of those suffering from mood disorders and vice versa, by assessing mood in patients with metabolic diseases such as obesity and hypertension. To prevent depression, doctors should not control their patients insulin sensitivity. These tests are easily available in laboratory.
