Women Face Higher Genetic Risk Of Depression, Study Reveals

Depression is a complex mental disorder affecting millions of people worldwide. It is characterised by persistent feelings of sadness and loss of interest in daily activities. But does it affect women more than men?

A recent study, published in Nature Communications, found that women have a higher genetic risk of depression. The research, touted as the largest genetic study on sex differences in Major Depressive Disorder, identified 16 genetic variants associated with depression in women and eight in men.

The researchers have provided evidence for a higher burden of genetic risk in females, which could be due to female-specific variants. The sex-specific pleiotropic effects may contribute to the higher prevalence of metabolic symptoms in females with Major Depressive Disorder.

For the study, researchers studied DNA from five international cohorts: Australia, the Netherlands, the United States and two from the United Kingdom. As per the report, the final sample size included 130,471 women and 64,805 men with major depression. There were 159,521 women and 132,185 men without the diagnosis.

As quoted by The Guardian, Dr Brittany Mitchell, who is a senior researcher at QIMR Berghofer's genetic epidemiology lab, said: "We already know that females are twice as likely to suffer from depression in their lifetime than males."

"And we also know that depression looks very different from one person to another. Until now, there hasn't been much consistent research to explain why depression affects females and males differently, including the possible role of genetics."

The study also noted that these factors highlight the need for a "multifaceted approach" so that the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of depression improves. However, the authors have also proposed that a "key component of the biological mechanisms underlying these disparities could be differences in genetics".

As per the authors, the "findings underscore the importance of considering sex-specific genetic architectures in the study of health conditions" in order to achieve more targeted treatment strategies.

There's also a notable genetic connection between depression and metabolic traits like Body Mass Index (BMI) and metabolic syndrome in women.

As quoted, Dr Jodi Thomas, who is the lead researcher, said these genetic differences "may help explain why females with depression more often experience metabolic symptoms, such as weight changes or altered energy levels".