According to findings of a study by researchers at the VU University Medical Centre in the Netherlands, people who are overweight at the age of 8 or 13 are more at risk of depression than those who suffer weight problems in middle age.The scientists, who presented their findings at this year’s European Congress on Obesity, said: “Our findings suggested that some of the underlying mechanisms linking overweight or obesity to depression stem from childhood.”
Carrying excess weight throughout life quadruples chances of developing the mental health disorder, the research adds. The researchers suggested that childhood obesity may permanently damage self-esteem, resulting in depression later on.
One in three children in the United States, U.S. and the United Kingdom, UK, are overweight or obese, previous research has shown. In Nigeria also, overweight in children is a growing trend among kids and adolescents.
Overweight is having more body fat than is optimally healthy. Being overweight is common especially where food supplies are plentiful and lifestyles are sedentary. Excess weight has reached epidemic proportions globally, with more than one billion adults being either overweight globally or obese in 2003.
The researchers enlisted 889 people living in Reykjavik, Iceland, with an average age of 75. Study participants were assessed to determine whether they had symptoms of depression or if they had previously been diagnosed with the condition.
The researchers then looked at school records dating back almost seven decades to find out if the participants were overweight as children, defined as having a BMI between 25 and 29.9. Data revealing their weight at the age of 50 was gathered from a previous study with the same participants in Reykjavik.
Results revealed that carrying excess weight in childhood is a stronger predictor of depression later down the line than being overweight in middle age.
The findings showed being overweight at the age of eight or 13 more than triples the risk, while carrying excess weight throughout your life quadruples your chances of the mental health disorder.
Previous studies have shown that people who are obese are more likely to become depressed, but few have looked at the longterm influence of childhood obesity.
Scientists believe being overweight as a child may permanently damage selfesteem. Furthermore, the scientist said: “A shared genetic risk or low self-esteem, which is frequently associated with those who do not conform to the ideal body type, could be responsible.
