Insulin-sensitizing drug relieves symptoms of chronic depression in some people

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2015-11/sumc-idr111115.php

Public Release: 18-Nov-2015
Insulin-sensitizing drug relieves symptoms of chronic depression in some people
Stanford University Medical Center

A drug that makes the body more sensitive to insulin helped to relieve symptoms of chronic depression in people resistant to the hormone, according to a study by researchers at the at the Stanford University School of Medicine.

•••••

Insulin resistance -- a precursor to Type 2 diabetes -- and major depression are common conditions. Close to one in five Americans are diagnosed with depressive illness at some point in their lives, Rasgon said, while about one in three otherwise healthy Americans -- and an even greater share of people with depression -- are insulin-resistant.

"While insulin resistance is more prevalent among people who are overweight or obese, significant numbers of people with normal weight are insulin-resistant, too," she said. "But most don't find out about it until they're diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes, hypertension or cardiovascular disease."

Insulin resistance is associated with higher likelihoods of many chronic diseases, among them Alzheimer's disease and depression.

•••••