Author(s)

Shaheen Asghar, A. Magnusson, Akhtar Hussain, Lien M. Diep, Bishwajit Bhowmik, Per M. Thorsby

Hormone Laboratory, Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Hormone Laboratory, Department of Endocrinology, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway..
Institute of Health and Society, Section for International Health, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway.
National University Hospital (Psychiatry), Reykjavík, Iceland.

Aims: To clarify the relationship between depression and glucose metabolism using sensitive measures of insulin resistance, and to assess if remission of depression results in enhanced insulin sensitivity. Methods: An intervention study to quantify changes in insulin sensitivity before and after treatment of depression was carried out. Twenty six Pakistani women with newly diagnosed depression underwent euglycemic insulin clamp to measure insulin sensitivity at inclusion and again after treatment of depression 6 - 8 weeks later. Twenty-three individuals completed both tests. Results: Significant improvement of insulin sensitivity was observed following the treatment of depression. The improved insulin sensitivity remained statistically significant after controlling for confounding factors. Conclusions: This study establishes a relationship between depression and insulin resistance. It demonstrated that insulin sensitivity can be improved by treating depression.

Clamp Technique; Depression; Insulin Resistance

S. Asghar, A. Magnusson, A. Hussain, L. Diep, B. Bhowmik and P. Thorsby, "Depression and Insulin Resistance in Non-Diabetic Subjects: An Intervention Study with Insulin Clamp Technique," International Journal of Clinical Medicine, Vol. 3 No. 7, 2012, pp. 575-581. doi: 10.4236/ijcm.2012.37104.