Women Exhibit Higher Genetic Risk for Depression,Large-Scale Study Finds
LONDON – A new genetic study involving hundreds of thousands of participants reveals women carry a significantly higher genetic risk for major depression than men,possibly offering biological insight into longstanding disparities in depression rates. Teh research, published today, identified distinct genetic regions linked to depression that differ between sexes, with limited overlap.
Researchers analyzed data from 471 women and 64,805 men diagnosed with major depression, alongside 159,521 women and 132,185 men without the diagnosis. The study found stronger genetic correlations in women between depression and metabolic traits like body mass index and metabolic syndrome compared to men.
“These genetic differences may help explain why females with depression more frequently enough experience metabolic symptoms, such as weight changes or altered energy levels,” said Dr. Jodi Thomas, the lead researcher.
The study authors acknowledged a larger sample size of women with depression – roughly twice that of men – and conducted further analyses to rule out sample size bias. They also noted a limitation in the study’s focus on individuals of European ancestry, which restricts the generalizability of the findings to other populations.
the findings address a long-standing debate regarding the higher prevalence of depression in women, typically reported as two to three times greater than in men globally. previously,explanations centered on social and psychological factors,such as differing roles in family care versus income earning,or inherent personality vulnerabilities.
“This very interesting novel genetic study…provides strong evidence that these differences in rates of depression may in fact be due to genetic factors, with the statistically significant finding of more depression risk regions in the genome in females compared to males,” stated Professor Philip Mitchell of the University of New South Wales, who was not involved in the research.
Mitchell added the study “points to the future possibility of different pharmacological treatments for depression in women and men, as the biological systems coded for by these genetic regions become better understood.”
