Research
Adherence
Intentional weight loss does not precipitate depression and may protect against emergent symptoms of depression in obese patients.
If you have a history of depression, know that weight loss is not likely to make your mental health worse. In fact, studies suggest it may help protect against new symptoms of depression. You should not avoid weight loss efforts due to fear of mood changes.
LimitedRefutesHIGH confidence
Intentional weight loss was not associated with the precipitation of depression symptoms but appeared to protect against this occurrence.
Why this rating
Based on subgroup analysis of the Look AHEAD study, a large RCT.
Source
Assessment and Lifestyle Management of Patients With Obesity
Robert F. Kushner et al. · JAMA · 2014
DOI 10.1001/jama.2014.10432
clinical_guidelineCited 232×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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