Obesity can cause depression, enhancing chances of emotional eating: AIIMS psychiatrist

Obesity not only affects the physical health of a person by causing a range of diseases but also impacts the mental well-being, said Dr Nand Kumar, psychiatrist at AIIMS said.

New Delhi: Obesity leads to body-image issues and can cause mood swings, anxiety, depression and self-isolation, which enhance the chances of emotional eating leading to difficulty in weight management, according to a psychiatrist from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) here.

Obesity not only affects the physical health of a person by causing a range of diseases but also impacts the mental well-being, said Dr Nand Kumar, psychiatrist at the premier hospital.

Obesity can lead to health issues, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and kidney and obstructive sleep disorder, he said.

"People with obesity may suffer from weight discrimination and this also contributes to the progression of the obese state by increasing the cortisol level in the blood," Kumar said.

He said chronic biological or emotional stress can precipitate emotional eating, leading to obesity, and likewise, obesity can lead to enhanced emotional eating.

"Emotional eating is eating in response to negative emotions or stress to suppress or sooth such emotions like stress, anger, fear, boredom, sadness and loneliness. Major life events or more commonly, daily lifestyle hassles can trigger negative emotions, resulting in emotional eating, which may disrupt the effort of losing weight.

"It is commonly observed that even people who do not consume much oil and fat develop obesity and stress plays a major role in this -- when there is chronic stress of any kind, be it emotional or biological (sleep deprivation, pain, inflammation or consumption of external steroids) over a long term," Kumar said.

Cortisol levels measured in the scalp hair can be a marker for long-term cortisol exposure and stress-induced obesity can be differentiated by finding out the high level of cortisol in the hair, he said.

It is well established that people with excess weight have a higher risk of developing depression over their lifetime, he added.

Obesity can also lead to various health issues, such as diabetes, hypertension, heart problems and kidney failure, Kumar said.

The best way to manage obesity is to decrease or stop unhealthy cooking oil, food with high glycemic index (for example white bread, cakes, cookies and sweet treats, chips and rice crackers, breakfast cereals and cereal bars), with healthy changes in the lifestyle, he said.

Practising adequate social and emotional connectivity, and increasing physical and mental activities are helpful in managing the weight and obesity, Kumar said.