Scientists from ibs.GRANADA participate in the first genomic study that investigates the relationship between depression and obesity

Researchers from the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada (ibs.GRANADA) have participated in the scientific project that has allowed the identification of genetic variants that link depression and obesity. This work is the result of the first genomic study that investigates the comorbidity - presence of two or more diseases at the same time in a person - of both diseases.

Scientists from the Computational Medicine Platform of the Progreso y Salud Foundation, an organization dependent on the Ministry of Health and Consumer Affairs of the Government of Andalusia.

Analyzing the genomic data obtained in this collaborative work, in which the University of Granada, Genyo, the Biosanitary Research Institute of Granada, the team of researchers from the Computational Medicine Platform of the Progreso y Salud Foundation has identified 55 genetic variants associated with the relationship between depression and obesity, diseases that are frequently comorbid, that is, they coexist in the same person.

This study, whose results have been published in Molecular Psychiatry, Nature, is the first to use genomic sequencing in the study of comorbidity between both pathologies. In this sense, scientists have sequenced specific genomic regions of interest in depression and obesity in a group of 654 individuals, as explained by sources from the Ministry to Europa Press.

The results have described the genetic profile that underlies this comorbidity, contributing to expanding knowledge about the relationship that exists between the two diseases. To carry out this research, scientists have used saliva samples from 654 people, among whom there were people with obesity; others with depression; others with both pathologies and, finally, people without disease.

Using next-generation sequencing technology, which can capture many types of genetic variations, 55 common variants related to the development of depression and obesity have been identified. In addition, a load of rare variants has also been detected in four specific genes that support comorbidity between both pathologies.

Depression and obesity are among the leading causes of disability, morbidity and mortality worldwide. Although suffering from any of these diseases independently represents a significant burden on a personal level and with implications for public health, the fact of suffering from them comorbidly contributes to “aggravating” the situation. “Consequently – explains Joaquín Dopazo, the director of the Computational Medicine Platform –, given the high prevalence of both disorders and their consequences, understanding the nature of their relationship is a challenge in preventive and personalized medicine.”

In this study, the relationship between depression and obesity has been established and there is research that supports a bidirectional association between these two common pathologies. Studies show that people with depression are more likely to suffer from obesity compared to those who do not have it. Likewise, people with obesity are also more likely to develop depression than people with normal weight. Despite that, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear, hence the importance of this study.