Links between body mass index, total body fat, cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein, and insulin sensitivity in patients with obesity related to depression, anger, and anxiety

Objective Define links between psychosocial parameters and metabolic variables in obese females before and after a low‐calorie diet. Method Nine female obese patients (age 36.1 ± 7.1 years, body mass index [BMI] > 30 kg/m 2 ) were investigated before and after a 6‐week low‐calorie diet accompanied by behavior therapy. Blood lipids, insulin sensitivity (Bergman protocol), fat distribution (by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry [DEXA]), as well as psychological parameters such as depression, anger, anxiety, symptom load, and well‐being, were assessed before and after the dieting period. Results The females lost 9.6 ± 2.8 kg ( p < .0001) of body weight, their BMI was reduced by 3.5 ± 0.3 kg/m 2 ( p < .0001), and insulin sensitivity increased from 3.0 ± 1.8 to 4.3 ± 1.5 mg/kg ( p = .05). Their abdominal fat content decreased from 22.3 ± 5.5 to 18.9 ± 4.5 kg ( p < .0001). In parallel, psychological parameters such as irritability ( p < .05) and cognitive control ( p < .0001) increased, whereas feelings of hunger ( p < .05), externality ( p < .05), interpersonal sensitivity ( p < .01), paranoid ideation ( p < .05), psychoticism ( p < .01), and global severity index ( p < .01) decreased. Prospectively, differences in body fat (percent) were correlated to nervousness ( p < .05). Waist‐to‐hip ratio (WHR) differences were significantly correlated to sociability ( p < .05) and inversely to emotional instability ( p < .05), whereas emotional instability was inversely correlated to differences in insulin sensitivity ( p < .01). Discussion Weight reduction may lead to better somatic risk factor control. Women with more nervousness and better sociability at the beginning of a diet period may lose more weight than others. © 2002 by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Int J Eat Disord 32: 58–71 2002.