Having diabetes increases the risk of depression and vice versa

After a Spanish investigation linked the consumption of ultraprocessing with an increased risk of depression, now a study coordinated by the Bellvitge Biomedical Research Institute (IDIBELL), the Bellvitge and Cyberbon University Hospital associates the presence of type diabetes type2 with an increase in risk of depressive symptoms and vice versa.That is, the greater the severity of depressive symptoms, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was greater.

Framed within the Predimed-Plus project, the new research supports the association between the presence of type 2 diabetes and the severity of depressive symptoms in older adults with obesity and metabolic syndrome.

This work also suggests a worse metabolic control from mild levels of short-medium-medium depressive symptomatology, influenced by the body mass index and life habits related to diabetes care.

The results have been published in "Journal of Endocrinological Investigation".

"Type 2 diabetes and affective problems are highly comorbid, with shared underlying factors and mutual influence on their clinical and treatment course, including adherence to diet and physical activity or control of complications related to diabetes,"Isabel Baenas explain and Lucía Camacho-Barcia, investigators at Idibell, in a statement published by the Network Biomedical Research Center (CIBER).

“This,” they proceed, ”entails an increase in morbidity and mortality and a reduction in the quality of life of these individuals, which is especially important for medium and advanced age adults, which constitute a group of vulnerability, due to the frequent coexistence ofMetabolic and affective disorders, ”they add.

The work, coordinated by the group directedto explore its association with metabolic control through glycosylated hemoglobin, which measures blood glucose, and other metabolic variables.

Specifically, the sample is made up of overweight/obesity and metabolic syndrome who performed a multimodal intervention with Mediterranean diet and caloric restriction, accompanied by the promotion of physical activity of leisure and psychosocial support.

Likewise, the researchers examined the prospective relationship between depressive symptoms and blood glycosylated hemoglobin levels, after a year of follow -up.

“We have evaluated the predictive capacity of basal depressive symptoms on glycosylated hemoglobin per year of follow -up, and the possible mediatorous role of different characteristics such as the duration of diabetes, physical activity, adherence to the Mediterranean diet and the mass indexCorporal, ”explains Dr. Fernández-Aranda, a professor at the University of Barcelona and coordinator of the Unit of Food Behavior Disorders of the Bellvitge University Hospital.

And we have "observed that the presence of type 2 diabetes increased the probability of higher levels of depressive symptoms, and in turn, at higher levels of depressive symptoms, the prevalence of type 2 diabetes was greater," says doctors Baenas and Camacho-Barcia.

The analyzes carried out in the study showed that, the greater the severity of basal depressive symptoms, the greater the probability of being within the levels of glycosylated hemoglobin in the follow -up of a year, which reflects a worse metabolic control.

In addition, “a greater severity in the depressive symptoms at the beginning of the study, as well as the duration of diabetes predicted to the year of intervention,Higher levels of glycosylated hemoglobin, higher body mass index, a lower level of energy expenditure in the physical activity of leisure and a lower probability of adhesion to the Mediterranean diet, ”says the researchers.

About six million people have diabetes in Spain.In the case of type 2 diabetes, its prevalence in our country is 13.8%, rising to 19.3% in over 75 years.

And it is estimated that one in ten people who attend primary care in our country has depression.Specifically, it is a disease that has one in five women and one in 10 men.

The results of this new research show the need to guarantee the screening of depressive symptoms, as well as a integrative and multidisciplinary therapeutic approach in patients with type 2 diabetes, which takes into account both metabolic control and depressive symptoms in thispopulation, since the symptomatic improvement of one will influence the other.