Approximately 17.3 million Americans (7.1% of the population) are diagnosed with depression. While the underlying roots of the diagnosis are multifactorial, many scholarly articles have found a reciprocal link between depression and obesity. Multiple articles report obesity to increase the risk of depression. In addition, depression was found to be predictive of obesity development. Females with obesity suffer more dissatisfaction from negative body image than males (Weinberger NA et al., Body Dissatisfaction in Individuals with Obesity Compared to Normal-Weight Individuals: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis, Obes Facts. 2017 Jan; 9(6): 424–441.)
Obesity—Depression and Anxiety