Adolescent Obesity and Psychiatric Co-Morbidities: A Dire Need for Lifestyle Modifications and Interventions

Due to the severity of metabolic dysfunction, obesity raises the incidence of anxiety and depression. Adolescents with depression had a 40% higher risk of being obese, whereas obese adolescents had a 70% higher risk. Overconsumption of sugar and saturated fat in the diet leads to metabolic dysfunction, neuroinflammation, and deficits in mental health. Growing data indicates that poor diet, inactivity, and visceral adipose accumulation are the primary causes of the mental effects of obesity. Neuroinflammation is triggered by adipose- and gut-derived inflammation as well as alterations in the nutritional makeup of the brain. Corticolimbic networks that regulate mood, motivation, and emotion are affected by neuroinflammation in terms of their structure, excitability, and connection