Mills, J. G., Thomas, S. J., Larkin, T. A., Pai, N. B., & Deng, C. (2018). Problematic eating behaviours, changes in appetite, and weight gain in Major Depressive Disorder: The role of leptin. Journal of Affective Disorders, 240
, 137–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.07.069
From the research article’s abstract: “Appetite and weight changes are core symptoms of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and those with MDD are at increased risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease and metabolic disorders. Leptin promotes satiety, with leptin dysregulation and resistance noted in obesity. However, the role of leptin in weight changes in MDD is not established. This study investigates leptin levels in relation to appetite and weight changes and problematic eating behaviours in MDD. Plasma leptin levels, psychopathology and biometrics were compared between participants meeting DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for MDD (n = 63) and healthy controls (n = 60). Depressed participants were also sub-categorised according to increased, decreased or unchanged appetite and weight. The Dutch Eating Behaviour Questionnaire and Yale Food Addiction Scale were examined in a subset of participants with MDD. Females with increased appetite/weight had higher leptin levels than those with stable or reduced appetite/weight, however males showed the opposite effect.