Diet, Adolescent Disease, and Obesity

Perry et al. (2021) examined children on their fasting insulin levels and BMIs throughout their childhood and followed up when the participants turned 24 years old to assess their psychosis and depression risk. The goal was to find associations between the course of fasting insulin levels throughout the childhood years with the risk of psychosis and depression as an adult. The data indicated that if the child’s insulin level trajectory was persistently high throughout their childhood, they were more likely to be at risk of psychosis and psychotic disorder (but not depression) when they turned 24 years old. Higher odds of developing depression were linked with a great increase in BMI following puberty. These results suggest that disrupted insulin sensitivity could be a shared risk factor for comorbid cardiometabolic disorders and psychosis, and that a marked rise in BMI from the onset of puberty could be a risk factor or risk indicator for adult depression.