Insulin resistance may underlie some cases, researchers say
WEDNESDAY, Nov. 18, 2015 (HealthDay News) — A new small study is adding evidence to the theory that insulin resistance may play a leading role in some cases of depression. Findings from the study were published online Oct. 12 in Psychiatry Research.
The study included 37 adults — 29 women and eight men — recruited at Stanford University in California. The study volunteers were between 21 and 75 years old and their weight ranged from underweight to severely obese. None had diabetes, but some were insulin-resistant or had prediabetes. All of the study volunteers had depression for longer than a year. Study volunteers received 12 weeks of treatment with pioglitazone or an inactive placebo. Patients were allowed to stay on their current antidepressant treatment as well.
Participants who were insulin-sensitive had improvements in their depression whether they were taking the drug or a placebo. But those who were insulin-resistant only saw improvement in their depression symptoms if they were taking the insulin-sensitizing drug. People who were insulin-resistant who took the placebo didn’t see improvement. The more insulin-resistant someone was, the better the drug worked on their depression, the researchers noted.
These findings “add to the neurobiological explanation of what’s going on when people are depressed, and it should help de-stigmatize depression. It’s a disease of the brain,” lead author Natalie Rasgon, M.D., Ph.D., a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at the Stanford University School of Medicine, told HealthDay.
One author disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry.
Copyright © 2015 HealthDay. All rights reserved.
