Research

Hormonal

Among overweight and obese adults, higher waist circumference and abdominal obesity are significantly associated with an increased likelihood of having major or moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms.

If you are overweight or obese, paying attention to your waist circumference is important not just for physical health, but for mental well-being. This study suggests that abdominal fat is strongly linked to depressive symptoms. You should discuss your mental health with your healthcare provider during routine check-ups, especially if you have abdominal obesity, as early monitoring can help manage risks.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
Among overweight and obese U.S. adults, waist circumference or abdominal obesity was significantly associated with increased likelihoods of having major depressive symptoms or moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms.
Guixiang Zhao et al. · BMC Psychiatry · 2011

Why this rating

Large, nationally representative sample (NHANES) with rigorous statistical adjustments for confounders, though limited by cross-sectional design.

Source

Waist circumference, abdominal obesity, and depression among overweight and obese U.S. adults: national health and nutrition examination survey 2005-2006

Guixiang Zhao et al. · BMC Psychiatry · 2011

DOI 10.1186/1471-244x-11-130

cross_sectional · n=2439Cited 214×
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DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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